Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
CONFEDERATE VETS
CONVENE TUESDAY
Charlotte to Be Host to
Fading Ranks of
Gray Army.
BY Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
CHARLOTTE, N. c., June Gray
clad campaigners from througout Dixie,
their eyes cleaning fierce defiance OF
encroaching years even as they charged
back at Grant around Richmond. will
mount the hilltop Of another all-South-
ern reunion here Tuesday and Justify
raise the rebel yell against old age and
the Yankees of burning memory.
Gray uniforms will number 5000 and
surrounding them and engaging them in
the festivities of the frenZied week OF
social and oratorical activity will be
probably 10000 children of the fading
South.
Tramping again through the tented
fields, with bugles and guns stirring
their battle instincts, the old warriors
will live over again the thrilling days
when against the heavy odds they COW
cred themselves with glory and wrote
living pages on the worlds history. AT
the average age of "a, they will gather
in the shade of the trees and relate Tor
an eager younger generation the many
times told tales of hair raising charges,
of blood and slaughter and OF madly
fleeing Yankees.
Meet Four Days.
All Dixie will be represented in
Charlotte. For four days the grey uni
formed generals and their regiments
of veteran warriors will resurrect, In
spirit at least, the militant Confederacy.
and the stars and bars will whip the
wind in proud disdain of the little TACT
that Grant finally reached Richmond.
While the veterans have their meetings
and attend to such business matters as
electing a new conmander-1n-chl
and selecting the next reunion city
Charlotte will be in a turmoil of social
activity reminiscent Of the old days
when Southern aristocracy had Its
grand balls and the windows OF the
manor houses cleaned until the morn
ing as beauty and chivalry "tripped the
light fantastic toe"
Surrounding each of the general and
divisional officers, standing like staunch
gray oaks in fields of flowers will be a
retinue of matrons and maids Of honor,
thrilled in being chosen from all Dixie
to be in the background Of beauty for
the old soldiers.
Expect Gay Time.
The minuet will not be revived ex-
cept in the elaborate pageant which Is
to denict the rise and fall of the Con-
federacy," for the younger Southern
generation has learned some new dances
it likes better. And SO do their mothers
and fathers. Also, many of the old vet
Grams will be seen and heard in the
staccato thumpings Of the fox trot, and
the girls of the day will vie with each
other in securing gray-uniformed part
nerS for the dances. The old boys will
have gay time. They always do.
Gen. A. T. Goodwin Of Elmore, Ala,
will open the reunion Tuesday night, and
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi will
thrill the Southerners with his eloquent
pictures of the former times. Among
those to be present will be Gen. r. A.
Sneed of Oklahoma, who, early ar
rivals among the veterans say. will be
Gen. Goodwyn's successor as command
er-in-chief. Biloxi, Miss, was regarded
as the leading contender Tor the next
reunion.
All eyes of the evening Of the second
day, Wednesday. will be turned on the
historical pageant, THE Rise and Fall
cast of local people, given in honor OF
the visitors.
Parade Friday.
After the business sessions Of Thurs
day. the reunion will arrive at its grand
climax Friday morning when the NAM
moth three-hour parade will wind its
way through the streets to the reunion
HEADQUARTERS. The latter Is magnif1-
cent new armory building, erected espe-
cially for the occasion.
One feature of the reunion which
will receive special attention Is the
camp division, in which scores OF ole
Negro men will be quartered. They
are the Wallets. the bodyguards, who
went to war with their "marsters" anc
right nightly eft de Yanks," who
fought to set them free. The ole
Negroes will have the run of the towr
and many a thrilling tale will they
tell. The majority of them will moi
be bound by such hampering thought:
as veracity, and the chances are theil
war yarns will be even more interesting
than those of their masters.
The reunion will be a whirl OF colol
and music and in the throngs, reduced
to the ranks in proportion as the ole
warriors are raised to pedestals, vii
be notables from all over the country
mostly Southerners on a "home-com-
ing" excursion. They will include gov
errors and Senators and famous doctor:
and lawyers.
Charlotte, with its 100000 popula-
ton, has been organized to make tho
thirty-ninth reunion the best OF any
since the Confederate soldiers begar
their annual assemblies.
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