Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-07-09
VETS FLEE BEFoRE ToRRID SUN,
6,OOo Leave Field July 2 On Account
OF Unbearable Heat.

Durg to-day, and the armies or the
blue and the gray began to melt
; away under the compelling influence
of torrid sun and the discomforts of
camp life. Gen. Hunter Liggett, u.
S. A., in command of the camp, esti-
| mated to-day that more than 5000
veterans have gone, and expressed
the opinion that 1000 more might
depart before midnight
Most Of them have look ed over the
battlefield, shaken hands with COM
rades they knew in other regiments,
got another glimpse of their friends,
and left for home. The regular army
men were not sorry to see the thou
sands go, for the camp was crowded
beyond capacity and hundreds Of old
men were being quartered in tents
that were made for circuses, but not
for sleeping purposes. Scores slept
on the ground, and although the
cooks made continuous efforts, the
mess tables did not groan with food.
There were no other reasons for re-
joicing to-day, for all indications
pointed to another unusually hot day.
The sun wasn't over the hills an
hour until the mercury was around
the go mark and promised to soar
much higher. The veterans h""o
stood the heat in wonderful fashion
in the opinion Of the medical men, ;,
but any time there is a protracted
spell scores Of real prostrations may
result.
This was military day" in the big
tent, with Col. Andrew Cowan, of
Louisville presiding. Major Gen. J.
r. Brooke, of Pennsylvania, was the
Northern orator of the day, and
Sergt. John G. Scarborough, of North
Carolina, the silver-tongued defender
Of the South.
TO Barry Bulkeley, Of Washington,
was given the honor of reading Lin
coins Gettysburg address. One of
the unadvertised reunions of the cell
ebration occurred last night in the
Confederate section Of the camp. A
fife and drum corps of men in blue
tramped up and down the streets of
the Confederate part of the tented
city. They stopped before the tents,
played for time, summoned forth
the occupants and shook hands,
threw their arms about the gray
shoulders, and in dozen other ways
Shnwn6 80 f,.;o
They kept it up for hour after hour,
and visited practically every rebel
tent. Their reception was as warm
as their greeting. Y ~
Six Die in Camp.
Gettysburg, July Col. Bradley,
the army officer in charge of the hos
pitfalls, where the sick veterans are
taken, was surprised to-day when the
records from all the hospitals under
his command were turned in. Only
80 veterans remained in the hos
pitals over night and scores of them
were not suffering from heat pros
tration, but from the ordinary all
ments of old age and camp life.
Only six men have died in camp
since Sunday, a record which has
amazed the doctors, when it is con-
sdered that more than $4,000 old
men were here.
Roaring Storm Brings Relief.
Gettysburg, Pa, July "A roar
ing storm swept down out of the
Blue Ridge plateau of Gettysburg to-
day, bringing, needed relief to thou
sands Of veterans in blue and gray
who have sweltered> for four days in
an atmosphere dangerous in city
of $4,000 old and weary men. For
more than half hour the rain came
pouring down upon sun cracked and
wind swept encampment grounds. 1t
charged with violent laundering over
the ground that Pickett covered in
'63. It's salvos Of thunder were like
the booming guns'of Meade and Lee,
but the thermometer dropped with
wonderful agility and the lightning
cleared the air of it's burden of hu-
midity.
The veterans lashed down their
tents and showed they had not for
gotten the old days, for not tent
was blown over, so far as reports
showed, and not veteran was in
jured.
Tonight the veterans were really
able to enjoy themselves for the first
time since their arrival, although the
muddy.
nj,