Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-07-16
THE GETTYSBURG REUNION
An Interesting Account of That Great Event by One
Who Took Active Part in the Famous Battle.
Cd. II. Russell in Anderson MailJ

GeCtySDurg What a Hood 8of
memories crowded upon me as /
crawled out of my tent on the morn
ing Of July 1st, having reached there
the night previous, and stood gazing
in the morning light Of the rising
sun over the most famous battlefield
in all civilized history, and found
that the camp of the South Carolina
division was on the slope of Semi
nary Ridge and not far from the
point where Pickett's Division made
it's start on that most famous charge
in all military annals-the charge
that has been the theme Of military
men the world over since then, and
the problem that they are still study
ing and will be studying for genera
tionS yet 10 come. And as l gazed
about me and began to take in the
surroundings, found that l was evi-
IDENTIFY very near the spot where |
had stood on that fateful July Sd,
1868, a half century before. Here
was Seminary Ridge, where the Con-
with its belching fire, and over yon-
der mile in front was Cemetery
Ridge, where the Federal artillery
united in the chorus, and the two
made "a little hell on earth" such
as had never been witnessed on this
continent before and probably never
will be again. While over yonder on
the right, mile and a half of more
away, stood Little Round TOP and
Big Round Top, the first of which
was the key of the position, and in
between the famous DEVILS Den, a
place whose name fits it exactly,
while over here to the left stood the
little town of Gettysburg, place
destined to be forever afterwards
famous in the annals of history.
Scene Floods the Memory.
Looking over this famous field the
heart was thrilled with the memories
of that day, big with events and
pregnant with the fate of the Con-
federacy. Over yonder on the right
stood Longstreet, bronzed warrior
the "old war horse" of Lee: here
in the center was A. p. Hill, who had
learned war under Stonewall Jack
son, and here on the left stood Ewell,
the three corps commanders of an
army that had never known defeat
and that had shaken continent with
its mighty tread; and here in the
plain, between the two ridges, lies
the path travelled by Pickett's Divis-
ion in that most famous charge Of
all history, the story of which will
be read with eager interest by many
generations yet unborn And here l
stood half century after, near the
spot where I stood on that fateful
day, viewing the panorama spread
out before me, in all its wide ex-
tent, of one Of the worlds greatest
battles, if not the greatest
FIFTY Years Agone."
Had I been told on that day that
| would live to come back there fifty
years later to witness tne gathering
of the survivors of two great armies
which had made more history in
three days than had been made in
any three previous centuries, would
have Knocked at it. And yet here it
was an actual, living fact. And no
where on all this green earth could
such scene have been enacted ex-
A m
extended plain was a tented city of
more than 5000 tents filled with the
veterans from nearly every State in
the Union, men who fifty years be-
throats in the death grapple Of bat
tie. 1t was wonderful, and the feel
ing Of brotherhood exhibited by the
men who wore the Blue and the Gray
and especially was this noticeable on
the part OF the men who wore the
Blue. 1t was Hello, Yank," and
Hello, Johnny"
| spent the greater portion Of one
day in the Pennsylvania camp, and
wherever / stopped a group Of thirty
or forty would gather around me,
and it would be Hello, Johnny, let's
shake" and the reply would be "All
right, Yank, come up" and they
seemed loath to let me move on.
There was not a harsh word ut
tered anywhere so far as ! heard, but
we met as American soldiers who
had illustrated American valor and
manhood in the fiery ordeal OF bat
flo