River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-05-29
VETERANS TO MEET
ON BATTLEFIELD
Big Reunion of Survivors of Civil
War at Gettysburg on
July l.
10000 EXPECTED TO ATTEND
Men Who Wore the Blue and Gray
TO Again 0Ather on Ground 3.
Made Memorable by His
toric Conflict.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
- - WASHINGTON. = During the
"a IA n first four days Of July the
W1 battlefield of Gettysburg. Pa,
w will again be the scene, of
meeting of the Blue and the
Gray, but this time they will meet in
amity and affection. A half-century Will
have passed since last these men of two
great American armies met on this
northern field. Then they were face
to face In deadly conflict, for the issue.
it was well understood to both con-
tending forces, was the success of the
southern cause, or the beginning Of its
defeat, to be followed by the restora-
ton of the Union as 1t had been before
the first shot was fired at Fort Sum-
ter.
The United States government and
the government of nearly every state
In the Union have combined to make
the Gettysburg reunion of the soldiers
Of the north and south one of the great
peace events of the century. The state
of Pennsylvania some time ago ap-
pointed "Fiftieth Anniversary of the
Battle of Gettysburg commission" to
make preparations for the four days
reunion, at which Pennsylvania as
state was to act as host to the vet
Grams of the war between the states
and to the thousands Of visitors who
would follow their march to the field
of battle, and appropriated $150,000 for
the purpose of entertaining the vet
Grams.
10000 Veterans Expected.
1t is expected that 10000 veterans
of the war, not all of them, however,
survivors of the Gettysburg battle. will
be found encamped upon the field
when reveille sounds on the morning
of July 1. 1t will be a different re-
veille than that which the fife and
drum corps of the two great armies
sounded fifty years ago. The call to
awakening will be call to peaceful
celebration while the call to the awak-
ening in July, 1863, was call of
armies to conflict and, to thousands of
men, call to death.
For years the veterans have been
looking forward to this reunion. 1t is
probable that there will be present
many thousands of survivors OF the
battle. The United States government
under an act Of congress has appro-
priated money for the preparation of
the camps and for the messing Of the
soldier visitors The average age of
the men engaged in the Civil war was
only eighteen years, but fifty years
have passed since these soldier boys
fought at Gettysburg, and SO If the
computation of age was true one the
average years of the veterans who will
meet in Pennsylvania In July will be
about sixty-eight years. Many Of them.
of course, will be much older and a
good many of them, men who entered
at ages ranging from fourteen to sew
enteen years, will be younger, but all
will be old men as the world views
age.
Many of the states Of the Union,
north as we'll as south, have made ap-
preparations to send their veterans to
the Gettysburg reunion and to pay all
other expenses. The battle of Gettys-
burg is recognized as the turning point
of the war between the states. 1t has
been called time and again one of the
decisive battles of the world. Gener-
ally it is recognized that Gettysburg
| decided the great conflict, helped In
the decision probably by the fall of
Vicksburg on the Mississippi, which
took place virtually at the moment
that the conflict on the Pennsylvania
field was decided in favor of the north
ern arms.
The preparations which the govern
ment is making to care for the veter-
ans at Gettysburg are interesting.
They have been under the charge of
James B. Aleshire, quartermaster gen.
eral of the United States army, and
Henry G.. Sharpe, commissary general
Of the United States army. Two years
ago last March $4,000 regular troops
were gathered in camp at Texas. The
health of the soldiers throughout the
Texas encampment was almost per-
feet, made so by the plans which had
been carefully laid to see that perfect
sanitation was maintained. The Unit
ed States army was taught a lesson
by the Spanish war, when lack of
proper sanitary precautions and unpre-
paredness in other ways cost the gov
eminent the lives of more men than
we're sacrificed to the bullets of the
Spaniard.
The estimates of the commissary
and quartermaster authorities are
based upon an attendance of 10000 vet
Grams. 1t probably will cost the gov
eminent about $360.000 to act in part
as host to the survivors of the battle
and other veterans who attend the
Gettysburg reunion.
Big Task to Feed Men.
The survivors of the war from the
north and south who will be present,
being old men, must be cared for in
a way which would not have been nee
essary fifty years ago. The messing of
the veterans will require 400 army
ranges, great field bakery, 100000
mess kits, 500 cooks, 500 kitchen help
ers and $50 bakers. This helping per-
sonnet will be required to be In camp
for at least seven days, and many of
them for longer period, for the pur-
pose of installing the field bakery, the
field ranges and in dismantling, clean
ing, packing and storing material after
the encampment is over.
The old soldiers are to be supplied
with fresh meat directly from refrig-