Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-07-03
Veterans At Gettysburg.
Survivors of BufOrd's 4 Wheel
er's Divisions Hold a Pre-
liminary Reunion.

! over Tile HeIu VI NeIly SDuiS' "hciS
$50, 900 men in blue and gray fought with
the weapons of war so years ago, the
soldiers of peace from the North anc
South, the East and the West troopeC
Monday to the tented city of brown,
where they will live four days of semi.
centennial celebration.
| 1t was an army united in sentiment
and united in faith. for the Blue linked
arms with the Gray. They marched the
dusty roads together from the village,
they sat down at the same mess tables,
and they talked over the war before the
same camp fires.
If there is any rumor in any heart,
any feeling of bitterness, it didn't come
to the surface, and over the broad eX-
panse of the "city" reunions Of those
who won and those who tried went on
hour after hour.
Officials of the regular army in charge
of the camp estimated that nearly $4,000
veterans came in during the day, bring
ing the total close to 1000, probably the
greatest army that ever assembled on
Gettysburg field after Lee and Meade
left it to glory and to history. The sun
blazed just as fiercely as ever, but down
from the Blue Ridge tumbled lively
little breeze that stirred the fading grass,
waking trees to life, curling in the open
tent flaps and carrying vigor to the tired
veterans. In consequence of this relief
there were fewer prostrations and the
surgeons in charge of the relief and hos
pita stations hoped that the list of the
sick and dead would be small.
Although the program of the celebra
ton was not taken up until Tuesday
there was reception Monday by the sur
vivors of Buford's division of Meade s
,rmy and Wheelcr's division of Lees.
The meeting was held in the big tent set
aside for the speechmaling of the cele
oration and began 50 years to the hour
from the time when the first shot pre-
.cding the battle was fired. The gray
cavalrymen who fought the skirmishes
that led up to the three days fight
pledged themselves in the shadows of the
Stars and Stripes to forget" and their
brothers in blue swore by the Stars and
Bars that the fight was over for all time.
Nearly 500 veterans from Maryland
are sleeping on the battlefield and ready
for the anniversary exercises. More
than $50 Union soldiers from Baltimore
and other parts of the State marched in
at various times Monday, half a dozen
men in gray registered at the Confeder-
ate camp and many more are expected.
The following items are from the Star
and Sentinel paper of Gettysburg.
OF the semi-centennial now being held
it says:
Never in the history of Gettysburg
mas the excitement over an encampment
created such stir among the town peo-
pie. There have been encampments and
reunions every year or two since the
great battle was fought here, and assem-
DldReS Vi NlSllOTS IulllllHS we'll IlIo VIC
thousands are common occurrence.
Military encampments of $4,000 State
Militia, Regular Army encampments and
in fact assemblies of every nature have
invaded the town, but never has an army
of so, 900 people been quartered here in
time of peace The Veterans Camp at
Gettysburg in 1913, will grace the pages
of history as one of the greatest Peace
Jubilees of modern times.
IAN excellent view of the tert city is
offered from all points along the West
Confederate Avenue and no one should
fail to see the beautiful display afforded
by the camp illumination. Hundreds of
electric lights mark the State streets and
avenues, and the $500 tents in uniform
rows presents one of the most perfectly
organized and properly equipped tent
cities that has ever been established on
300 acres of land.
Seventy special trains carried the
veterans into camp.
The first Confederate veterans to ar
rive came from Pikesville Md, State
Veterans Home.