The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-31
LAST REUNION HELD
IN RICHMOND N 1907
The Seventeenth Was Most Notable
Ever Held BY the United Con-
federate Veterans.
TWO MONUMENTS UNVEILED
Exercises at the Davis and Stuart
Circles Attended BY Large Crowds.
Eighty Thousand People Line the
Street.

5NtCes
The reunion of 1907. being the sew
enteenth, the last held in Richmond,
was the most notable OF any ever held
by the United Confederate Veterans.
Not only did ii prove the most import
! ant,but 1t was the most largely attend
ed. and ran through We days.
! 1t was notable because the Davis and
Stuart monuments were unveiled, and
I because of the attendance of many
distinguished men. who have since
! passed away.
| The number OF camps in 1907 was
1876, twenty-five camps having been
chartered that year, while nine were
| reinstated. This. according to Major
General william E Mickle, adjutant
| general and chief of stan, proved most
encouraging. and Indicated that the I'M
| preston which had gone abroad that
the organization was gradually dfsin-
+, tegrating was without foundation.
True, in some quarters. where men had
died or moved away. local camps were
| forced to disband, but as there can be
! no new veterans, said General Mickle.
! In the course of few years there will
be no camps. and the organization will
have been a thing of the glorious past
Mccarthy Invitation.
That reunion came to Richmond on
/ the invitation of Major Carlton McCar-
thy who went to New Orleans for the
purpose of extending the invitation.
| His speech was received with the wild
est enthusiasm, and the cry Of ION to
Richmond echoed and re-echoed from
one end Of the land to the other. The
result was the largest attendance.
But Richmond had something to
| show the veterans besides the fact that
| they were once again In the capital Of
the old Confederacy. Two statues were
completed and ready to unveil. The
whole Confederacy had contributed to
this end. and more than 100000 had
| been spent.
| The memorial to General Stuart was
unveiled on Thursday. May 80 1907.
There were $4,000 veterans In the line
of march. while $4,000 people lined the
streets. Such notab1es were present
as General John T. Morgan. General e.
w. Pettus. James w. Randall, General
Ellison Capers. Colonel A. r. Blakely
and General Stephen D. Lee. All these
are now dead.
! General Sttth Boiling was chief mar
shall. and Colonel John w. Gordan was
chief OF staff of the parade.
! Among others who were present at
that reunion were Mrs. w. H. r. Lee.
Colonel r.. e. Lee, Jr.. Mrs. Stonewail
jackson. General Eppo Hunton and Sem
ator John w Daniel
! Davis Statue Unveiled.
! In the PRESENCE of an immense crowd
the Stuart statue was unveiled on
Thursday afternoon. and on the follow
| ing Monday the statue of President Da-
Wis was unveiled before an enthusiastic,
4 though not as large crowd.
I The old veterans were encamped az
the fair grounds, the camp being
| known as Camp John w. Gordon"
Weather conditions were fine TO Thurs
day night During the night rain be-
/ gan TO fall, and so disa greeable did 1t
become on Friday that camp was
broke" and the veterans sought shell
I ter wherever they could find IL in the
congested city. Rain fell ftfuiiy until
Monday. and many of the visitors. be-
! ing unable TO find quarters. returned to
their homes thus missing the exercises
on Monday Incidental to the unwilling
of the Jefferson Davis memorial
! The decorations at that time were
varied and sumptuous. An incident in
this connection is worth mentioning.
! The City Council had failed to provide
for decorations for the City Hall. On
the spur of the moment. at a called
meeting OF both branches on wednes-
day night before the opening of the
L conventions. the sum Oh wv WH6 HppE0~
priated for the purpose. The money
was turned over to the Committee on
| Grounds and Buildings, the contract let
that night, and before sunrise the next
morning. beautiful draperies were over
each of the doors to the City Hall.
Patriotic Federal Ofnciais.
! Attaches of the postoffice collected
$500 for decorating that building. and
all week the American colors-red,
white and blue--hoated over the Fed
eral building as a mark Of honor and
esteem for the men and women Of the
'7ost cause"
! The reunion will long be remembered
as one of many smaller ones. Scores
OF companies, regiments. brigades. bat.
j talions held reunions and many tales
! Of the old campnres were retold.
! Many of those present at that re-
union will be missed from this. Many
of the leading men and women Of the
[ Confederacy who figured prominently
! in the days Of battle and strife have
| gone to their reward. The ranks are
| rapidly thinning. but vet there are
many left. and 1t IL believed the at
tendance at this. he twenty-nfth re-
union. will be the largest OF any yet.
! Thousands will take the opportunity
OF again marching through the streets
Of the capital Of the Confederacy,
while thousands more will come to zee
thS new Richmond. the leading city in
the South.