Evening star., 1951-05-31
By George Kennedy
Sior Sioff Correspondent

NORFOLK. Va. May 81
Three very old men, two of them
105 years Of age and the third
104, are here for the final re-
union of the United Confederate
Veterans.
They are William Joshua Bush
of Fitzgerald. Ca; William D.
Townsend of Ola, La. and John
Sailing of Slant, Va. The last,
who arrived last night. is the
youngest.
Bernard M. Baruch, whose fa-
ther was a surgeon in the Con-
federate army, was here for the
Memorial Day exercises. Gov.
Battle will be here later In the
week. But the three old men, who
have outlived their companions,
are the stars Of this event.
Mr.. Baruch, a frequent adviser
to former Presidents, had this to
offer in his brief off-the-cuff ad-
dress.
What should America be fear
full of now? Why should we be
fearful of living to face the diff
culties of the day? Those who
have gone before us were not
afraid to die.
when we have settled our diff
ferences our enemies will find our
people will be of one mind and
behind the President in whatever
decision is made"
The Norfolk Firemen's Band
broke into Dixie" when there
was lull in the speaking.
Nine Others Still Alive.
Nine other veterans Of the
armies of the Confederacy are
living but were unable to accept
invitations to attend.
OF the three, the man who is
taking the spotlight and enjoying
lit is Gen" Bush. The title is
honorary. given him at a previous
reunion of the UCV.
Gen. Bush was a 15-year-old
boy on his fathers plantation near
Macon, Ca, when the war started.
OF late years he has been inclined
to say that he was in most of the
battles from the ones at Manassas
to the final defense Of Richmond.
But the battle his family is sure
he was in was the Battle Of
Atlanta.
In 1922 just after Gen. Bush
had married a school teacher 40
years his Junior Che was rs and
she was 35 and she is still teach:
ing school he took her to the
battlefield and showed her a
stump he had crouched behind.
Confederate veterans seem to be
able to marry late in life without
benefit of pensions. Mr.. Town
send married his present wife
(his fourth) when he was "a.
Was q Technical Adviser.
But to get back to Gen. Bush
Two years ago Twentieth Century
Fox asked if they could use his
name as a technical adviser on a
Civil War picture, 1.-TWO Flags
West" It was just a publicity
stunt. He didn't have to do any
ting. But in gratitude they sent
him a uniform they had made
for him-a copy of uniform
worn by Gen. Robert e. Lee.
He loves that uniform. It was
never too hot-and it gets hot
in Fitzgerald, Ga.-for him to
wear it, although it is of heavy
woolen material with a high col
lar. He would sit on the porch
and run his fingers over the gold
braid on his sleeves and on the
collar.
This Record Is Official.
| Mr.. Townsend came all the way
from Louisiana on a train with
his wife. Military records of the
Confederacy were sometimes lost
often non-existent, but there i.
no doubt about his service. HI
was a private with Company E
of the 9th Louisiana Infantry
That's in the records Of the Ad.
,Ijutant Generals Office in Wash.
.Iington because he vas captured
during the war and paroled aftel
1.-The surrender.
i Mr.. Sailing, who arrived lasi
might, may steal the show from thu
Iother two. He hasn't q gray hail