Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-06
MIDNIGHT CAMP
FIRES RECALL
DEEDS Of vALOR
Old Soldiers Sit Up All Night TO
Tell Stories, and Everyone's
a Good Listener.
Continued From Page I.


up the third day. rendering pleasant
enough the reunion weather
The veterans exulted in that storm
They were in snug tents and they
were soldiers. When the storm began
10 rage. they fastened the flaps Of
their tents as they had learned to do
so well With all the heavy wind
not a tent was blown over, nor even
were the lashings loosened
Conversation Never Laos.
Within the tents there was al
ways conversation. Not even in the
dead Of the night did 1t cease. The
talk was Of charges and Of retreats.
OF maneuvers that have become more
and more heroic now that the years
have passed but mostly. as is the
way OF veterans the world over. Of
personal proves and adventure.
Camp fires were lighted In rows
that stretched for miles and miles
along the streets between the tents
Around them men sat, talking I'm
DER the tents men lay on the cots.
talking. There was little sleep. es-
hNNtaAiA Alli ilist TWO nights. but
voices everywhere through the night
Voices that were steady and numer-
Gus, with sort Of staCCato effect that
came with the intermittent putting
or thousand Of COrncob pipes
Every veteran was his own best
listener Naturally with everybody
talking
There was so much 10 tell so many
deeds Of valor, so many heroes. so
N.s.fr. L..
demiEods
Some Of the leaders were present
Most spectacular and attractive fig
ure, perhaps was General Daniel l.
Sickles. Of New York the sole sur
Viving corps commander Of the Union
army who participated IN the battle
Of Gettysburg
Every day Of the four saw a stream
Of visitors 20 his quarters, men who
cried like babies as they shook mis-
hands, and who had "A hundred stories
70 tell him The old general cried
himself, and az one time was ordered
kept from the visitors More than
5000 men. II is estimated, came 10 see
him and 10 shake his hand on the first
day Of the reunion. and he held a
veritable court as he sat In an arm
chair on the porch ~ the Rodgers
home q battlefield Landmark.
Young Leaders Soorn Beds.
OthCrs 81 the leaders younger and
mere vigorous than tn, aged Federal
Scornpd che prOffered beds and snug
chambers that had been reserved for
them, Choo;.rE instead the tents and
co.'s Of their comrades One of those
men was General A J. West, OF Geor-
gla. who later was presented with n
loving cup by the mon - his State.
Another was General TaliN H. Rob.
ertsou, Of Texas, Who throughout The
Terio1 Of reunion was a resplendcut
figure In his gold braided uniform Of
a Confederate general His chief 81 .-
~ was tho fact that he had been st
Fort sumter when the first gun OF the
war was fired.
General Bennett y Young Of Louls-
Vile, commander in chief Of the
United Confederate Veterans. was ar
uthey hero When he addressed the
reunion crowd the first day. his own
gray veterans greeted him with
lusty rebel yell that was rivaled in
vigot by the sincere cheer which came
from he Union veterans
Confederate generals present we're
Robertson. Texas. West, Georgi-.
Shaffer. Louisiana. A. u Williams
Florida; Law. Florida. and Carr.
North Carolina.
Mrs. II. u. Lougstreet OF Gaines
vile, Ga, widow of the great Con-
federate leader. was here and was Al
ways the center Of reverent crowd
Many men who fought under hsr hus-
band followed her day after day. tell
ing Of incidents that occurred during
the war
The first night at the battlefield she
could find no quarters Everything
was reserved. and she was forced "a
sleep on the floor Of a farmhouse. The
next morning however, she found
that a tent had been reserved for her
by General Sickles.
She went TO the pump Of farm
house 10 get q drink OF water and
there met an old soldier She asked
him under whom he fought. and he
ignorant Of her identity replied,
"LongStYest'
And are you glad or sorry that
the war ended as II did," she asked
him
Il am glad" he said, emphaticallv.
so far as the war itself is concerned.
but not for the reconstruction days
You may be a Northern woman, and
II you are. YOU can't imagine what
Wa went Throughout in the war
when the soldiers fought US. but in
the days afterward, when the poll
ticians governed us But I'm glad tie
war ended in a united nation
Wore Badge Of Union.
Mrs. LOnESiTtei saw everywhere tN-
amples of the reconciliation that the
Gettysburg meeting has brought
about She met a soldier wearing "A
gray suit but deCked with a badge
marked Fifth PENNSYLVANIA Volunteer
Infantry She asked him why he, Il
Union man. should wear a gray sui.
Me-" he said, surprised Il am
not a Yankee. ] fought under Long
street, and I'm from Mississippi"
why do you wear that badge,
them" she asked.
why" he said. "a Yank came
along to-day from the Fifth Pennsyl-
vanis and asked me OF I'd trade
badges with him. after we'd had a
talk and found out where we We're At
Gettysburg. So we traded He 5
wearing my badge now-Fffteenth
Mississippi Says he'll keep It as lorg
as he lives.
Reconciliation is sincere. There was
even talk during the four days Of an
amalsamation Of the United Confed-