Show the world will little note nor LONG REMEMBER what we say here but bitt it can never forget what W tat they did here dy by ELMO SCOTT WATSON c western newspaper union i B OR many years there Fre bi has been talk of one big J reunion union of the blue and the gray and now it is about to lo become a reality for dr overton H mennet of los angeles national commander of the grand army of the republic and gen james 11 claypool of st louis commander in chief of the united confederate veterans have accepted the invitation of the state of pennsylvania and the federal government to join their forces in celebrating the anniversary of the battle which not only was the turning point in the war between the states but which is also listed among the fifteen decisive battles of the world the reunion will be held from june 29 to july 4 and invitations have been sent to veterans of the war throughout the country to come to gettysburg at uncle sams expense for congress has appropriated to pay for their transportation and food and housing costs during the weeks encampment during the reunion they will stand by as president roosevelt dedicates a new memorial on the battlefield in it will be a perpetual light symbolic of the torch of freedom that burns brightly over a reunited country and on the last day of the reunion july 4 they will join in celebrating together the day which knows no north nor south nor east nor west for it is independence day the birthday of the whole republic lt it is estimated that 2500 veterans of both the union and confederate armies will attend the reunion only thus have the years taken their toll of both the blue and the gray on that july day three quarters of a century ago when the battle began there were nearly of them in gen george meades union army and of gen robert E lees confederates but when night fell on the last Z Y W I 1 y q GEN LEWIS A ARMISTEAD ARiM ISTEAD day of the battle and the two commanders counted the cost these were the fruits of three days of bitter fighting the union army had lost killed wounded and captured or missing a total of the confederate army had lost 2592 killed wounded and captured or missing a total of four months later abraham lincoln stood on the battlefield of gettysburg and spoke these immortal words the world will little note nor long remember what we say here but it can never forget what they did here long remember what memories will come crowding into the minds of these veterans as they go over this hallowed ground to some of them may come the memory of that breathless moment me nt on the third day of the battle when gen george pickett led his brigade of virginians from under the brow of seminary ridge and started across the valley for a last desperate assault on the union defenders of cemetery hill perhaps they will see him again as mounted on a spirited charger his long dark auburn tinted hair streaming in i SPRING here soldiers of both the union and confederate armies drank during the battle of gettysburg the wind he salutes his commander general longstreet as he passes nor notices how old pete bows his head sadly as he returns the salute for longstreet knows that he is sending most of these gallant virginians to their deaths and then the long federal array with its double line of supports was revealed to view As the advancing column came in sight meades guns opened upon it but they neither paused nor faltered round shot bounding along tore through its ranks and ricocheted around it shells exploded darting flashes before behind overhead A long line of skirmishers prostrate on the grass suddenly arose within 50 yards firing at them as they came within view view running on ahead turning and firing back as fast as they could reload the column took no heed of them but moved on at a quickstep not returning their fire A storm of death from cemetery hill burst the fire of 40 cannon picketts men fell like grain before the sweep of the scythe there was vas no pause the survivors pressed on with a force which seemed to have grown stronger with the concentration of all the lives which had been freed from the fallen brave straight down upon the center of the position on on the column moved with iron nerve one hundred federal guns now concentrated their whole fury of shot and shell upon the advancing line every inch of air seemed to be filled with some death dealing missile the men and officers were fast being slaughtered kemper went down mangled and bleeding imagine it if you can these heroes reforming and aligning their ranks while their comrades dropped in death agony about them the shells bursting above their heads and an iron storm beating them to death yet the line was formed and coolly they awaited the command forward quick march with perfect precision with all the grace and accuracy of the parade ground instead of the bloodiest of battlefields picketts division took up its death march each man with the red badge of courage pinned over his heart now they broke forward into a double quick toward the stone wall whence the federal batteries were pouring forth their deadly missiles A flanking force attacked the left lef t p pouring buring in a deadly storm of musketry here the fighting was hand to hand muskets seemed to cross men fired to the right and left and to the front the federals in front fell behind their guns to let them belch their grape and canister into the oncoming ranks piling up the dead and wounded armistead sword in hand sprang over the stone wall crying come on boys come on well give them the cold steel come on I 1 who will follow me ebb tide ile he reached the battery his hand touched one of Cush ings guns then he and gushing cushing fell together and a crimson river washed the base of the copse of trees which marked the high tide of the confederacy a river formed of the noblest blood that ever flowed in american veins thus the words of one who wrote the most mosi graphic and heart stirring description of pick etts charge that has ever been produced mrs la salle corbell pickett widow of the man who led it will there be any veteran of the one hundred fiftieth perm penn sylvania volunteers or the famous iron brigade there to recall the first day odthe of the battle and Const constable ble john L burns the old hero of gettysburg john job n L burns you know was over seventy years of age a I 1 gray haired veteran of the can war who was living in a little house at the western end of the town when the lines of battle were formed that first day across the fields he came mus musket in hand to off offer er his services to colonel witter wister of the one hundred fiftieth pennsylvania the colonel advised him to fight in the woods since there was more shelter there but that suggestion appeal to old john burns no sir siree eel so he joined the line of skirmishers in the open fields fought beside them until they retired then attached himself to the famous iron brigade of michigan wisconsin and minnesota troops and it until he be was wounded three times that he r monument to fifth wisconsin of the iron brigade allowed himself to be carried to a wagon and taken to the little home for which he had been fighting barlows knoll another place of memories there brig gen charming channing barlow of new york and brig gen john B gordon of georgia led their com mands in a bitter fight for possession of this mound in the midst of the fight barlow fell from his horse desperately wounded gordon riding into the thick of the fray saw the stricken man a soldier of equal rank he drew rein rem at his side and asked if there was a last request the new yorker asked that his sweetheart then a nurse caring for the sick and wounded in the old mcclellan house be notified A dispatch rider was sent to the improvised hospital and the young nurse escorted to her sweetheart saved by ills his sweetheart undaunted by the nature of his wound an apparently fatal one the stouthearted stout hearted young woman secured his transfer to a nearby farm shed where tor for three days the she nursed him through the crisis then came weeks and months of tender care A few years later the young new yorker regained his full health he became attorney general of new york he was informed unofficially that the officer who granted his request on the field of battle had lost his life at gettysburg the georgian emerged from the war with new laurels he later became governor of georgia misinformed as the new yorker had been the georgian believed that barlow had lost his life 7 twenty years later at a banquet of union and confederate veterans in washington the two officers prominent in civic and political life mei met they were on the same program each of the opinion that the other had been killed recognized the other and a touching reunion was held at the banquet t table able I 1 will there be any veteran of the first massachusetts regiment at the reunion to remember four year old josephine miller who was baking bread in her home on the emmetsburg Emmets burg road when that regiment approached what will you do when the battle begins asked colonel baldwin oh dear Is there really going to be a battle where shall we go asked josephine miller yes we shall have a battle right here and you will either have to go to the rear or down cellar if you have one yes we have a small cellar I 1 think we will stay so josephine miller went right on with her baking years later when meri members ibers of the first massachusetts dedicated a monument on the spot where they had taken their stand dur r Span elers spring in 1863 ing the battle a woman named mrs of troy ohio was present from a house nearby they brought out a stove and she stood beside it to be photographed for she was the josephine miller of 1863 and this was the very same stove on which she had baked her bread 0 0 0 yes josephine miller was one woman at the battle of gettysburg who lived to tell her children and grandchildren about it but there was another who sweet faced jennie wade will there be any veteran there who remembers her history has written her down as the only woman who was killed at gettysburg but history always right As witness not more than feet from the huge bronze open book that marks the place where the high tide of the confederacy broke and receded i is a spot unmarked unknown to thousands who have visited the battlefield and seldom spoken of but a sacred spot withal for here lies a young virginia woman who died at gettysburg in the uniform of a confederate soldier she had fought beside her husband in more than one battle her identity known only to him during picketts charge her husband a standard bearer was shot down she stooped only long enough to kiss him goodby good by then raised the colors aloft and tried to push on but she too was struck down some of her comrades found her lying beside the dead stand ard bearer suspecting th the e truo true relationship of the couple they wrapped their bodies in a confederate flag and buried them there on the hillside who was she no one knows unless by some strange quirk of fate some veteran of picketts brigade attending the reunion reunion recalls the story and after 75 years tells her name devils den gulps culps hill little round top spots immortalized zed by stories of american valor places of memory of insignificant little details as s well as homeric struggle Is there anyone left to recall the story of the cattle which had been driven into the little valley between devils den and round r 5 11 r I 1 00 1 1 JENNIE WADE top on the second day of the battle A shell shelf had exploded among them tearing one animal to pieces thereupon the others terrified by the shells bursting in air over them rushed first to one side of the valley and then to the other A union officer who had tied his horse to a tree before crossing that valley started to return on foot during the three days of the battle he was never in greater danger than at that moment as he made his way among the terror crazed animals |