Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-02-13
blUe AND GRAY I'M
HAPPY DAYS REUNION


by Mr. Samuel Moury. of Blooming
ton, III, taken from his home paper
of January 80 1914:
= Soldiers who shot deadly
bullets at each other for three days
on Gettysburg field in July, 1868,
met again yesterday in this city
and clasped hands and spoke words
of friendship for each other which
sent the blood warm and pulsating
throug their rejuvenated hearts.
1t was a happy, and withal an
unusual reunion which occurred IN
the soldiers room in the court
house, when former foes in the
bloodiest battle of the civil war
met as friends, and with company
of other veterans of the great
struggle renewed memories of those
great and stirring times. Incident
ally, they recalled reunion OF but
recent date, when thousands OF
warriors of the blue and the gray
met in a noteworthy gathering at
Gettysburg on the fftieth anniver-
sary of the great battle.
Three confederate soldiers were
in the city yesterday, and they
called upon their old soldiers friends
of the union army, who daily
assemble in the room provided for
them in the court house basement.
The former "rebs" were Cadt. }.
S. Scoot. of Seymour, formerly OF
Company E, 18th Virginia cavalry;
Samuel Moury, of Gillum, formerly
of Company D, GID Virginia noun
ted infantry, and J. H. Cunning
ham, of 1901 East Grove street in
this city, formerly of Capt:
McNeill's Independent company OF
Virginia Partisan cavalry.
All these men took part on the
confederate side in the battle OF
Gettysburg, and the tpecial object
# their quest in visiting the court
house yesterday was to meet the
| four union veterans of the Gettys-
burg fight with whom they shared
mess at the fftieth anniversary OF
the battle, which occurred in July
of last year. These union veterans
from this city who atten ded the
Gettysburg reunion were William
| P. Jones, Washington Smith, Henry
Smith and Charles Luth.
When the four Bloomington men
went to the historic reunion in
Pennsylvania last summer, they
| fell in with the three confederate
veterans mentioned above. all of
whom live in this part of Illinois.
They decided to mess together,
and shared the same tent on the
field. The days of the reunion were
pleasant ones for all the men.
Yesterday, Capt. Scott, of
Seymour, had business in Bloom
ington, and by pre-arranged plan
he met with his confederate COM
rades, Messrs. Moury and Cunning
ham. Then the three went to look
up their mess-mates of last summer,
the four union veterans of the
Gettysburg fight.
When the visitors reached the
room of the old Esoldiers, they
found only Mr.. Jones and Mr..
Smith of the quartet whom they
sought. But there were a number
cf other veterans in the room, and
the meeting was turned into an
informal campfire.
Capt. Kilgore, we'll known old
soldier of this city, acted as I'M
promptu chairman of the meeting,
and introduced the visitors from
the camp of "the enemy" All
three made short talks in a rem
iniscent way, and each voiced
sentiments of the warmest friend
ship for all the old boys in blue
who are yet living in this city and
county,.
The union veterans who had
visited with the confederates last
summer, then made short talks.
There were also remarks by Nh. Il.
S. Humes and Capt. Burnham.
The latter has bsen a business
friend of Capt. Scott for many
years, and they had dealings with
each other for long period before
either knew that the other had
fought in the war on opposing SIDE.
The whole occasion was a most
unusul and interesting one. There
would TO doubt have been a larger
plumber of veterans in the rooms
had they known in advance of the
visit of the men from the southern