Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1913-07-30
The Gettysburg Meeting.

tysburg, consecrated by the blood
of the blue and the gray, after the
lapse of half century the North
and the South meet with the East
and the West under the American
flag, to do honor to the soldiers
still living, and to pay loving and
respectful homage to those who are
asleep in the stillest of all slumbers!
Neither stress of time nor distance
of home shall break OF blur that
friendship that our brothers sealed
with their blood. And as we talk
over together the wonderful and
glorious events of those days of
conflict; as we walk together over
this great battlefield, we pause at
the close of the day and clasp
hands with each other and with
hearts united we are constrained to
breathe silent prayer that peace
and fraternity may abide until the
trumpet shall sound and life's shad-
ows flee away forever. AS we
walked over this field of carnage,
the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfeld,
and the Devils Den," where Ker-
shaw fought and Barkesdale fell
and SO many brave men of the blue
anl the gray stained this soil with
their blood, / uncovered my head
and felt like plucking the shoes off
my feet.
could locate quite number of
places where we lost heavily. Whit
Lott lost his leg at the foot of Mis-
sion Ridge near large chestnut
tree which is still standing, bat it
is dead. Only one apple tree is
standing in the Peach Orchard, and
it is also dead. l followed the line
of Pickett's charge up to the very
brow of Little Round Top, (the
Yankees call it the High water
mark of the Confederacy'') which
has gone down in story and song
as the grandest charge that has ever
been recorded in the history Of any
war. It seemed to me that l could
hear Pickett as he led the charge
say, Come on boys; press the bat
tie to the gates-forward, guide
CENTER - That was fifty years ago.
A large number has been spared to
come back, bearing the olive branch,
and the white dove of peace has
Spread her silver wings about the
blue and the gray, saying, How
good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in uni
ty."
This peace conference at Gettys-
burg has already done more to es.
tablish brotherly feeling than any
thing that has ever taken place,
anywhere o. in any country. A Pc
tition was gotten up in this camp
asking Congress 10 pay back.to the
South the tax we paid on our cotton
for three or four years after the war
and believe every man in blue
signed it.
/ was in company with three men
in blue, two from Pittsburg, Pa,
and the other from the state CT N.
Y, who, speaking of this meeting
said: Il have seen and felt more
since l have been here than / ever
expected to see or feel this side Of
heaven. Not only the United
States, but the whole world is look
ing at this meeting with wonder
and admiration" And they went
on to say with the tenderest feeling
You Southern soldiers must have
pension as the Federals have"
took the old battle flag lack
and let it float once more on that
historic plain, and it was very pop
ular, the ladies focking to see it and
10 get a picture of a Confederate
battle flag. A lady from Pittsburg
came up and asked if she could see
the flag. With pleasure ! showed
it 10 her. Il see from your oadge
that you are from South Carolina"
said the lady. Yes, madam, born
and reared there, and a Rebel died
in the wool.'' Give me your hand
them said the lady, when I get
back home l can tell my people that
l met and shook hands with man
from South Carolina-and a Rebel
at that. You are the first Southern
man that l have ever talked with. "
In pleasant manner | asked her
what kind of a thing she thought
South Carolinian looked like. why
of course body of noble, patriotic
men,"
1t is my honest opinion that if
o,,,,I, q roootino ac this at Cottyl-