The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-07-11
SILENCE REIGNS
AT GETTYSBURG
Regular Army Pays Form,
Tribute to Dead.
Ten Thousand Hear President \.
liver Parting Address Exodn.
For Home Begins.

Gettysburg, Pa.-The regular ARM,
paid tribute Friday to the tbous..,'
who sleep under the hills of Get,,.
burg. Somewhere down in the bs..
of the tented city bugle sang ont :
silver sweet call, that wandered or.
the field where Lee and Meade mo-,
history. The big flag before the hood
quarters of General Liggett, fash;n,
in sudden curves of red and white avg
blue, glorious in the sunshine of
perfect July day, came SLOWLY h,,s
way down the shaft. In front Of tbs
tent, shoulders squared, figure trim !,
summer uniform of white, face towa,a
the flag, the general clicked heels IA
gether and stood at attention.
The guns Of the Third battery burst
into salute. Every officer over tbs
length and breadth of the wide field
every enlisted man turned away from
the duties of the moment and faced
the flag, heels together, heads up and
eyes alight with the sentiment of thu
hour.
AS the last gun of the 48 sent the
echoes gathering about Seminary
Ridge and Round Top, there was sol.
emn silence the hush of peace. Old
veterans who did not realize, PERHAPS
exactly what was going on, stood 81.
lent under the spell of the universal
feeling that seemed to sweep the field
Even the clatter of pots and pans in
the mess tents was hushed, and the
yells of cooks about to dish up the
midday meal lowered to whispers.
For five minutes the camp was quiet.
Then the bugle spoke again in notes
joyous. The silken flag leaped up the
staff to its very pinnacle and the
noises that 40, 900 men can make re.
sumed their sway, the regular army's
tribute to the dead and to the flag Of a
reunited Nation.
That five minutes silence was prob
ably the last formal mark of the semi
centennial celebration. Only few
minutes before President Wilson spoke
in the big tent to the veterans in blue
and gray and only short time after
ward thousands of those who were left
began their preparations for depart
ure.
The President came into Gettysburg
shortly after IL o'clock from Balti-
more. Through the narrow, crooked
streets Of this war-famed country
town he motored out to camp with
Governor Tener Of Pennsylvania, and
Representative Palmer of Pennsyl-
vania, by his side. On his appearance
at the station Of Gettysburg college
grounds came the customary 81 guns.
From the station to the camp over the
village streets and gray and dusty
Emmitsburg roads, the President was
driven, while the Pennsylvania con:
stabulary, looking business-like and
efficient in their slate gray uniforms,
guarded his automobile and kept the
traffic clear.
The President was in the tent only
a half hour. At the conclusion OF his
speech he shook hands with many Of
those on the platform and then walked
between lines of the constabulary to
his private car waiting on a nearby
siding. He stood on the rear platform
as the train pushed slowly down TO-
ward Gettysburg through the camp
A few minutes later he started fof
Harrisburg and the North.
Special trains began pushing out Oh
Gettysburg early and the railroad men
were working their hardest to put
them out on schedule.
Governor Mann, of Virginia, anu
General Bennett H. Young, of LOUIS
vile, KY, commander-in-chief OF tns
United Confederate Veterans, starteO
movement to have a reunion OF tns
armies Of the North and South az =!
Richmond in April, 1915, on the 0o "
anniversary of the evacuation OF 1nt
nc-:%oI of kho Corfodorocv