The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-07-18

The Gettysburg OF n1ty years ago
was called Lees Waterloo" which
was erroneous, for some of the South
ern chieftain's hardest, ferccst and
most successful battles were yet to
come, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold
Harbor, Petersburg, etc. But no one'
who was on the fatal feld' of few
days ago, would doubt for moment
that it was the Waterloo Of sectional
ism, bitterness and distress between
the North and the South. Old scores
of hatred, engendered by the war,
seemed to have been entirely wiped
from the slate and instead Of "Yanks"
and Johnny Rebs" you heard on all
sides, Hail brother" 'Ho comrade."
The general government and the
State of Pennsylvania contributed
near a half million of dollars for the
entertainment of the veterans, and
fully that much was donated by the
States, for the transportation of their
individua! troop, making the enormous
total of one million dollars, for the
peaceful meeting of the blue and the
gray. Was the "game worth the can
dle?" Was the good effect equal to
this prodigious expenditure of money?
I for one, and I believe every one
present, would say it was the best out
lay possible, if we are to judge from
good results in the future. We heard
it talked on all sides, among the Fed
eral soldiery, that the South's veter-
ans should share equally with them,
the nations bounty, part Of the pen
sions, so lavishly bestowed upon those
who were the blue. I can't say that
I seek any pension from the govern
ment, but if it should be granted and
I am still living l dare say I would
be patriotic enough to take it.
Speaking on general principles OF
the good cheer and love feast of the
recent reunion, I went to that meet
ing with fifty years of bitterness and
hatred pent up in my soul, more than
the majority of the Southern veterans,
for in my line of duty had opportun-
ities to see more Of the wrongs done
our women and country than most
men. but, 1 came away with i'll feel
ing for none. Not that have forgiv-
en- the North for everything they did
to us, for fifty years is too short
time to forget and forgive all the
South endured
But since talking with any number
of intelligent men from the North, and
hearing their version of war I have
ecome greatly mollifed, enough a.
least. to keep me from cutting any OF
their throats. AS man said to me,
from the old Iron Brigade" from
Michi iean. "You men entered the army
for a principle, we Of the Norrn, 10
get bread for our families; our mines,
workshops and factories were all clos
ed and we had to either enlist for the
bounty offered, or starve. All tnas
talk you hear about the Northern men
entering the army and fighting to save
the union, is all stuff, gotten up by
the newspapers, while as a fact, we
didn't care a d whether you were
N or out of the Union, so long as we
had bread for ourselves and families" :"
Well. I believe there is a lot Of truth
in this, but these sentiments were no
reason why they should burn our
houses.
The South Carolina contingent was
hours late and got into camp some
time after night Col Fair had pre-
ceded us, looked over the ground,
lent US much aid in plotting us to our
quarters and looking after our COM
fort, for which every man from New
berry greatly appreciated. When we
arose in the morning one vast sea of
tents lay out before US and it was
not until we saw old Round Top, ST.
lent, sullen, defiant, that we could
get our bearing.
Gettysburg, the quaint old Dutch
town of 1900 inhabitants, was two
miles to the north The camp. or
rather the "feld of Mars" was ira
versed by two great thoroughfares,
enc in our rear, ran along a stone
sence on Semitary Ridge, behind which
"Tige" Anderson's Division of Hills
corps and McLaws, of Longstreet,
formed for the assault on the 2nd.
This is called Confederate Avenue, %
thus called suppose, in honor Of their