OCR Text |
Show CELEBRATION AT GETTYSBURG III FULL SWING ! Fifteen Thousand Veterans of the War Between the States Take Part in the Ceremonies. SECRETARY OF WAR IS ORATOR OF DAY Gen. Bennett H. Young, Head of the United Confederate Veterans, Also Delivers an Address. GETTYSBURG, Pa., July 1. In tho pitileSB glare of a sun that sent the mercury bubbling over (the hundred mark and mado clothes a burden and a bath only a delusion, the armies of the north and -the south today began the formal cxercisos set to mark the semi-centennial of Gettysburg. Veterans Veter-ans to the number of lo.QOO, the army officers estimated, filed into the big tent sot apart for the exercises, sat in tho haze of heat for two hours and shook the camp with their cheers when the speakers made referenco to a reunited re-united nation. Every seat under the canvas was ta-kon ta-kon long before Secretary of War Garrison Gar-rison and Governor Tenor, the orators of the da', came chugging up in their automobiles. Although the mon in gray were far outnumbered by those in blue, there were possibly 1000 southernors through the amphitheater and what they lacked in numbers they made up in luug power. Rebel Yell Is Given. When Governor Tener finished his speech, General Bennett J. Young, commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Con-federate Veterans, . roso slowly and bowed to him. "I can give you something some-thing that no one else can give you," ho said. "Wo will now give you the rebel yell." Nino famous confederate ' generals and 1000 veterans of the south gave it so loudly that it was heard far back in the camp toward Gottysburg. When General Young stopped forward for-ward to deliver his addresB he was greeted with wild enthusiasm, tho union veterans led by Commander-in-Chief Beers, giving him three lusty cheers and a "tigor. " He took as his keynote tho conviction convic-tion of each side in the great struggle that it fought for a principle, which it believed was tho truth. One of his opening statements was that the northern north-ern soldiers desorved more credit than the southerners for the promulgation and successful realization of the pres ent great reunion which he characterized character-ized as tho greatest movement of its kind in the world. Speech Captures Audience. This complimont lo tho northern vet erans was greeted with loud cries of "no," to which General Young quickly quick-ly ropliod, "I know bettor than you do." His spoech captured the audi-onco audi-onco and ho was overwhelmed by handshakes. hand-shakes. Among the 200 guests on the platform plat-form wero Governors Mann, Virginia; McCrcary, Kontuclcy, and Eborhart, Minnesota; Senator Penroso of Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania and tho following confederate generals; "Robinson, Texas; West, Georgia; Thomas J. Shaffer, Louisiana; A. I). Williams, Florida; E. M. Law, .Florida, and Carr, North Carolina. The invocation was delivered by tho .Rev. George Edwards Lovojoy, thaplain-in-chicf of the Grand Army of the lie-public. lie-public. Tho benediction was lo havo been delivered by the Rev. JI. M. Ham-ill, Ham-ill, chaplain general of the confederate voterans who failed to appear. All through the night the veterans poured into camp, took graciously what; smnll blessings fato passed out to thorn for a few hours and found permanent perma-nent quarters when tho hnrd pressed regular army officers would get thorn ready. Lato today Major Normoyle, second in command to Brigadier Gon- eral Liggott, estimatod that more than 50,000 men are quartered in a camp intended in-tended to hold 40,000. All Well Cared For. Through persistent efforts, however, every man has boon cared for as well as possible. Thousands havo been given quarters in th? big tents and hundreds of others in smalor tents used in the day time for apeoch-mak-ing and reunions. No officer cared to estimate the number of southerners here. There aro moro thnn 3000 from Virginia, aDd it is probable that one-quartor one-quartor of tho total number is represented repre-sented by tho men from Dixie. Mau3' veterans got no further than one meal in camp and one look at tho (Continued on Page Three,) GUT CELEBRATION IS M FULL Mi (Continued from Page One.) crowded tents and then started back-home back-home as quickly as they could go. The real exodus, howovor, will not begin until Thursday or Fridav, for thousands thou-sands who might have Jcrt sooner expect ex-pect to etav over the Fourth to see President Wilson. Beforo tho morning exercises began and attcr the veterans quartered in the big tent made their slim toilets, the reunions of regiments and companies and squadrons began. Confederates who were in Pickett's charge took keen delight in marching with fife and drum to Spanglers Woods, where the columns of Pickett formed ou July 3. 63 to begin the charge that marked tho high tide of thc lost cause. They didn't charge again like thev once did, but they remembered, or thought they remembered, and nobody said them nay, every stick and stone and even the blades of grass in that wide stretch where death kept step with them before. Go Over Story of Fight. On the edge of the union side of the camp the veterans of Meredith's Iron brl-grado, brl-grado, and of Pettigrew's brigade of North Carolina got together to go over the story of the fight of thc first of July. The struggle between the regiments of these two brigades was the most disastrous disas-trous in number of those killed In the entire three days' fighting and was seldom sel-dom equalled in the whole hiBtory of the war. They met today, many of them for the first time, since 'C3. The doctors were amazed today at the way the veterans withstood tho unusual heat for It poured down In a way to keep men scores of years younger in the shade. About thirty veterans were taken sick In the big tent during the exercises, but most of them were able to get up and walk away from thc relief stations to which they were taken after a minute's rest. Ambulances Kept Busy. The army ambulances were fairly busy during tho day and there were several hundred men who dropped in at relief stations, got a bit of medicine, rested for a half hour or so and then went back to their tents. Out and out cases of heat prostrations were unusual and all together to-gether the veterans showed their mettle met-tle was atill good throughout the trying day. Downtown In Gettysburg, where the temperature was even higher than in camp, there were more cases of temporary tempo-rary exhaustion treated at emergency stations and at the Pennsylvania health department hospital. Although the army doctors were not given to talking about such matters it was evident tonight that many of the old soldiers would have been better off If they had not undertaken the trip here. Two veterans have been found In camp apparently without friends, who arc totally to-tally blind, and they are quartered in hospital tents. Micagga Weiss, New York veteran, who was taken to one army station today, announced that he is 112 years old. The average age is about 70. the doctors believe, and there are hundreds of men who arc over SO. The long journey manv of them have tnken, thc fact that they arrived here thoroughly tired out and tho hardships j that they have undergone, In addition to the heat, havo made the sick lists fill "P. j Rain Is Hoped For. Tonight there was a good prospect for a rainstorm and if II cornea The situation situa-tion will bo relieved and the big danger of prostrations and deaths will bo postponed post-poned If not entirely averted. The first death of a veteran In thc town of Getlvsburg occurred this afternoon The victim wan J. D. Albert, of Washington, Wash-ington, D. C-, about 70 years old. He is said to havo been prominently connected with the United States pension office. Death was due to a stroke of paralysis. Mr Albert came bore yesterday and secured se-cured quarters In a boarding house in preference to going to camp. Tho fifth death reportod In camp was that of Christopher Ynles. aged 70. a veteran from Latrobe. Pa., who died late todav as a result of heal prostration. In tho hospital of thc Pennsylvania slate health department three women were rc-colvod rc-colvod during the afternoon suffering from tho heat. None was believed to be in a serious condition tonight. Saloons Still Open. The agitation for the closing of the barrooms In thc town of Gettysburg appears ap-pears to have died away tonight and they romaln open for a flourishing business. It is stated that the Intimation came from the county court house that no drastic action would be taken unless tho necessity Is greater than appears to be the case at thc present time. Among the arrivals today was former Governor Cox of Ohio. He had with him several members of his staff. Nobody to Blame. Despite efforts of tho regular army to do impossible thing, thousands of veterans vet-erans spent tho night on Gettysburg field with nothing between them and the stars but their clothes and their courage and nothing between them and the hard earth but a' little more of the same thing, j It was not thc fault of the regulars g and It was not thc fault of the veterans The railroads poured the thousands into Gettysburg tho best they could, but train after train that was looked for early ; came crawling In near midnight and af- i terward. They kept coming from that ; hour until long after daybreak and short- lv before breakfast the rush began again. ' Major Normoyle of the quartermaster's department. U- S. A., who has the pulse ! of tho vast camp under his lingers, did not go to bed at all and his little force : of army officers kept him company. They i provided blankets, pointed out tents unci t did all they could to patlsfy the vetornns that, everything would be all rlghl this morning. This was the first formal day of the i semi-centennial celebration. Although Buford and Wheeler had a skirmish near ; Gettysburg fifty years ago yesterday, it j was on July 1 that the battle began which ? forced the union troops out of Gettysburg ji back toward Cemetery Ridge. . " |