The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-02-07

their tanned and wrinkled faces some
times quivering with emotion, stood
up at the conference of the Gettysburg
celebration commissioners at the Phil
adelphia Union League recently to
| plead for the privilege of wearing their
| old gray uniforms at the reunion in July.
The conference is composed of the
Pennsylvania state commission, repre-
sentatives of the United States gov
| ernment and veterans associations
and commissioners appointed by forty
states of the Union. Nearly all are
veterans either of the Union or the
| Confederate armies.
Colonel Charles Burrows of New
Jersey, Union veteran, introduced a
| resolution for rule that no military
! uniforms be worn at the celebration
| by survivors of either army. After
| the plea of the Confederate survivors
Colonel Burrows withdrew his resolu-
| ton.
Pathos In Plea.
| There was much of pathos in the re-
| quest of the SouthernerS When Ma
| jor General Felix II. Robertson, COM
mander of the Texas division, begged
| for the privilege of carrying the old
| Texas battlefiags in the celebration
Union hands applauded as loudly as
did his comrades from the south The
| Gettysburg reunion is not to celebrate
victory, he said; it, is to celebrate
peace.
1--WE old soldiers are very much alike
the world over" said General Robert
son, land we are given to delusions.
One of these delusions is we have
made peace. We have not made peace.
Our children have made it.
1--WE don't want war again. If we
had war now I'd be fighting my own
children. A Yankee from Indiana
came down in Texas a few years ago
and married my daughter, and they're
living in Indiana. I'd have to fight
against my daughters husband if we
had war today.
| How War Was Ended.
1--WE quit fighting because we
thought it was a hopeless job" said
the general, his eyes flashing for
the first time. when l quit, why,
you were kind enough to quit too.
tried my very best to get out of the
| Union, but you wouldn't let me. Now
that I'm in 1 want all the privileges
that the country allows. l want the
best that's coming to me.
II love the Confederate gray. If |
| can get enough nerve to wear it on
July l want to wear it. l want 20
carry the old flag that waved over the
Texas brigade at Chickamaugua.
| There's a lot Of men down our way
who want the same privilege. l know
there's no harm in a blue coat and
you ought to know there's no harm in
an old gray jacket.
IF you're going to celebrate a vic
tory, all right, keep away the gray
coats, but if you're going to celebrate
peace, why, we helped to make it,
The old general, who commanded
brigade of Confederate cavalry
throughout the war, started the con-
ference on heated discussion. Three
or four veterans were on their feet at
once demanding to be heard. General
Louis Wagner, president of the COM
mission, tried to postpone considera-
ton of the question.
Sergeant Adds His Plea.
Sergeant John G. Scarborough of
North Carolina was finally recognized
Tall, six feet three, with gray beard
hanging midway to his waist, he en-
tered the discussion with a plea as
dramatic as was General Robertson's
S"I'm a conservative reconstruction
lst," the tall sergeant began. I'm 60
ing to Gettysburg if I'm alive in July
without my uniform. I'll tell you why.
On my way home from Appomattox
passed through Raleigh, There some
Federal soldiers seized me and cut all
The buttons off my gray coat.
81 put the coat away, or, rather
what was left of it. For years on GER
Iain occasions took 1t out and looked
at 1t. 1t brought back memories"