Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-06-12

United Confederate Veterans.
July Military Day: Under the
direction of the chief of star of the
United States army. Special detach-
ments OF each arm of the regular
service to participate as directed.
July 3-Ciyic Day: Under the d.
rection of the governor OF the COM
monwealth of Pennsylvania, presid-
ing, and participated in by the gov
ernors of the several states Orations.
sermon and music.
July 4-National Day: The chief
justice of the United States presiding
Forenoon, Grafton by the president of
the United States. High noon, he to
lay ne cornerstone OF great peace
memorial. Evening. fireworks
To Hold Reunion in Great Tent.
| A great tent, seating between ten
thousand 100000 and fifteen thou
sand (15,000) veterans, will be erect.
ed Immediately adjoining the camp.
and therein will occur the above exer-
cises, excepting the military parade
and fireworks, and therein. save for
| the hours set apart for the above ex-
ercises, the veterans may hold all
| reunions they may desire, the tent
being arranged to be subdivided into
numerous separate enclosures All
veterans of the Civil war, north and
south, are urged to wear their army,
| corps, division, brigade and society
badges, as a means of identification
| to their comrades in like commands,
In the expectation that 1t will assist
In imparting information as to when
and where their different organiza-
lions meet, and in bringing together
comrades who would otherwise, by
reason of lapse of time, fail to recog-
nize each other,
10000 Veterans Expected.
1t is expected that 10000 veterans
of the war. not all of them, however.
survivors of the Gettysburg battle. will
be found encamped upon the field
when reveille sounds on the morning
of July l. 1t will be different re-
veille than that which the fife and
drum corps of the two great armies
sounded fifty years ago, The call to
awakening will be call to peaceful
celebration while the call to the awak-
ening in July, 1863 was call Of
armies to conflict and, to thousands Of
men, call to death.
For years the veterans have been
looking forward to this reunion. 1t is
probable that there will be present
many thousands Of survivors of the
battle.
Many of the states of the Union,
north as well as south, have made ap-
preparation to send their veterans to
the Gettysburg reunion and to pay all
other expenses. The battle Of Gettys-
burg is recognized as the turning point
of the war between the states. 1t has
been called time and again one OF the
decisive battles of the world. Gener.
ally it is recognized that Gettysburg
decided the great conflict, helped in
| the decision probably by the fall of
Vicksburg on the Mississippi, which
took place virtually at the moment
that the conflict on the Pennsylvania
| field was decided in favor of the north
! ern arms.
/
| The Battle of Gettysburg commits
sion of the state of Pennsylvania has
large sum of money at it's disposal
| for the entertainment of the visiting
veterans, and the thousands of persons
who will accompany them. Hospital
| ity is to mark the days. Fifty years
ago Pennsylvania aided in the work Of
| he ted 4ha
In early July next the same state will
have it's arms wide open In welcome
| to the men wearing the gray. Enter
| tainments of various kinds will be Of
| fered the visiting veterans, but 1t Is
pretty we'll understood that their deep
interest in revisiting the scenes where
they fought, Little Round Top, Oak
Ridge, Cemetery Hill, Culp's Hill.
Rock Creek, the Stone Wall and other
/ places will hold them largely to the
pleasures and to the sadnesses Of per-
sonal "reminiscences. Arm in arm with
the Union soldiers the Confederate sol
diers will retramp the battle-ground.
They will look over the field of Pick
| ett's desperate charge. They will re-
trace the marching steps of Long
streets corps. They will go to the
place where Meade had his headquar-
tiers and to the place from which Lee
directed his southern forces in battle.
1t is said that this contemplated re-
union has induced more interest
among the old soldiers OF the north
and the south than any event which
has happened since the day that the
war closed. There is today at Gettys-
burg a great national park. in which
| is included a cemetery where thou
sands of soldier dead are buried. The
United States government and the leg
| islature of Pennsylvania worked to-
gether to make park Of the battle
| field and to mark accurately every
point in it which has historic interest.
1t is expected that much good will
come from the reunion of the Blue and
1 n