text: Sfe'f/ons'/JVbj?c/X72G>*2f' jf/2 ££&c\.r, t*fc-ryr &f (r<s‘?fy&2urp Retreat of Lee - Clearing the Battlefield - Consecration of National Cemetery - Lincoln Present - Numbers Engaged in Battle-Organization of Grand Army and of Confederate Veterans. To the Fourth of July—the Natal Day of the great Nation which the Civil War then at Its height had threatened to split asunder. The terrific conflict at Gettysburg was over, and whilst there was rejoicing throughout the Union forces over the repulse of Lee's movements of the day before It was tempered with overwhelming sorrow at the price in human blood paid for the victory. The heavens were weeping In torrents of if trying to wash away the evidence of the dreadful carnage of the three days’ strife, and as if pretesting against the renewal of the battle which proved to be the most destructive of the whole war. On the one side was the Army of the Potomac unconscious at that time of the extent of its victory, and on the other the legions of Northern Virginia somewhat dismayed at the failure of the previous day but yet unconquered. For the present, Lee determined not to attempt further battle, and a retreat to Virginia was decided upon. Calling General Imboden, he placed him in charge of the wagon trains carrying the wounded— "We must return to Virginia," said General Lee. "The wounded must be taken home." "When I began to speak of the fight," said General Imboden, "Lee was a picture of mental suffering, and 'f'h, too bad! too bad!' was all he could say. It is really the saddest incident I recall of the 'War.' Then came the retreat with all the attendant horrors of carrying the wounded over thick roads in wagons without springs. The rain poured in torrents and the canvas covered wagons afforded little protection to the suffering men. Scarcely one in a hundred had received medical attention and many of them died on the way. When Williamsport, Maryland, was reached about noon on the Fourth of July, General Imboden was compelled to halt as the rains had turned the Potomac into a raging flood, and crossing was impossible. The men who had died on the way were given a decent burial and the wounded taken from the wagons and attended in houses. The entire town assisted in cooking food and doing all they could to make the wounded comfortable. A council Of war was held in the Union camp on the evening of the Fourth after General Meade had learned that Lee had left the field. It was decided not to follow directly. The cavalry was sent out and they discovered the Confederates near Williamsport and on the defensive, for by this time part of the Infantry had joined the wagon train. A brisk skirmish occurred on July sixth between Kilpatrick and Stuart. For months after the battle, the field at Gettysburg bore marks of the terrible conflict. The soil was drenched with blood and the little streams ran red with the blood of the wounded and slain. The Ermittsburg road was impassable for days owing to the dead bodies of men and horses covering the roadway. The ground over which Pickett's men had so gallantly charged was now a field of dead, and the ground covered by the First Minnesota Regiment in their remarkable fight was covered with a silent host of broken, battered human forms. Down in the Wheatfield they found a Confederate and Union soldier side by side—the Union man holding his canteen close to the mouth of the Confederate. It seemed that his last act must have been giving the Southerner some water—a silent example of that old saying, "Death makes all men brothers." In the Peach Orchard, they had a fair chance to win. Hatred drummer boy with his battered drum by his side. Death had come swiftly, and the boy seemed like one asleep. The work of burying nine thousand dead and removing twenty thousand wounded to comfortable quarters was a herculean task, for the Confederate as well as the Union dead had to be interred as the former had about all they could do to look after their wounded. The Confederate prisoner were pressed into service to bury their fallen comrades. This they did cheerfully, digging long trenches and placing the men side by side. "Many times we have made the Yankees do the same thing for us." They said as they covered the boys from the Southland with the cold earth of the North. Whenever it was possible the graves were marked but the earth was soggy and the rains which followed washed many of the marks away and even opened up the shallow graves. Governor Curtin, the Executive of Pennsylvania, came upon the scene one day and was so struck by the sorrow of several relatives of a dead soldier over the manner in which the exigencies of war had compelled the burial of the dead son that he determined some place must be found where the dead heroes could be suitably buried. A plot of some seventeen acres of ground on Cemetery Hill was purchased—on the spot that the Union line of battle had rested. Eighteen States Joined in the enterprise. The grounds were laid out with wide lawns dotted here and there with shrubbery which forms beautiful vistas showing the prominent points of the field. The work of re-interring the dead began on the 27th of October, 1863, and was completed on the 18th of the following March. The number re-buried was thirty-five hundred and seventy-five. This does not mean that even half of the dead were found, for the whole field was dotted with graves. In re-interring the bodies in the cemetery, every effort was made to discover the identity of the men and this in many cases was done and the relatives of the dead soldier had his remains taken home, the identification being made through articles found on his body. An entry of each article found was made. These things are kept and numbered to correspond with the number of the gravestone of him upon whose body the articles were found. The following example of the record: John O'Keefe—ambrotype of a young girl; sixty cents; cemetery. Unknown — pocketbook; lock of brown hair; picture of man supposed to be his father. The cemetery grounds were consecrated on November 19th, 1864. Mr. Edward Everett, the noted orator being chosen to deliver the oration of the occasion, the dedicatory address being reserved for President Lincoln. Mr. Everett had spoken nearly two hours, says a citizen of Gettysburg, and the people had listened attentively but in a cold, stolid fashion, but after Mr. Lincoln had spoken only a few words a wave of emotion swept over the audience and everybody was in tears. A delegation of fifty soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, who were recovering from their wounds, were present, and when Mr. Lincoln began to speak they pressed forward listening intently to the President, and when he reached the well-known words of that famous speech—“The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here,” great tears rolled down the bronzed faces of the soldiers. When the President finished there was a profound silence broken only by the sobs of the women, many of whom had been widowed by the battle. Then Mr. Everett stepped forward and shaking the President’s hand, said, "Ah, Mr. Lincoln, I would gladly give my forty pages for your twenty lines!" There has been much diversity of opinion as to the numbers engaged at Gettysburg and the casualties on the part of the South. Longstreet says that about seventy thousand Confederates were in the battle, but as Lee was obliged to leave strong guards all along from Winchester to Gettysburg, the ranks were somewhat depleted. General Meade testified that when he took command the army amounted to one hundred and five thousand men. Including the eleven thousand of General French which he did not bring up. This reduced the ranks to about four thousand. The losses on both sides in the three days' fighting were enormous. On the Union side, General Meade in his official report says they amounted to twenty-eight hundred and thirty-four killed, thirteen thousand, seven hundred and nine abounded and sixty-six hundred and forty-three missing—in all, twenty-three thousand, one hundred and eighty-six. General Lee in his report declares that it is not in his power to give a correct statement. It has been estimated by the Union officers that Lee's loss was over five thousand, and following five wounded to one killed, which is the usual proportion, there were twenty-seven thousand, five hundred wounded. A well-known war writer places the Confederate losses—killed, wounded and prisoners, at thirty-four thousand men. In 1895, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association transferred its grounds (about eight hundred and fifty acres) together with the monuments which had been erected to the care and protection of the general government. The battlefield is now under the care of the United States Government by Act of Congress of 1896. Already five hundred and three monuments have been erected by different States, excellent carriage roads have been built so it is now possible for the tourist to ride to every point on the field. Five iron and steel of the services have been erected on each side from these one may view the entire battlefield—now a A vast park dote with costly marble and bronze trillutes to the men who gave their lives to the cause of liberty. It was not long after the close of the war that the men who fought the Union army began to consider the feasibility of forming an association. They talked together and sent out letters to other regiments until finally the Grand Army of the Republic was formed. Major B. F. Stephenson organized the first G. A. R. Post at Decatur, Illinois, in 1866. Major Stephenson prepared the ritual of the organization and became its first Commander-in-Chief. He was born in Wayne county, Illinois, in 1822. He studied medicine and when the war broke out was practicing his profession at Petersburg, Illinois. When the Fourteenth Illinois Infantry was organized, Doctor Stephenson was elected surgeon and he served with the regiment in its arduous campaign until June 24, 1864, when it was mustered out. Major Stephenson served before the close of the war often spent of the men who "had borne the battle" forming themselves into a society but the work of the Grand Army of the Republic has gone far beyond his most sanguine expectations. Death is rapidly depleting the ranks and it now numbers less than 200,000. Major Stephenson died August 30th, 1871, in his forty-ninth year. The United Confederate Veterans was organized in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1889, the object of the society, which is composed of men who fought in the Confederate army, has been to unite in a general federation all associations of Confederate veterans. The main object of the society is to aid veterans and their widows and orphans and keep alive the memory of the men who gave their lives for the Lost Cause. They also collect authentic data for an impartial history of the war between the States and preserve relics. The number of Confederate veterans present between 160,000 and 200,000. Forty Thousand Blue and Gray Veterans To Be Guests of Pennsylvania How They Will Be Fed and Housed-Battlefield Now a Park - No North No South - OUR Country. In 1909, the State of Pennsylvania decided to entertain the veterans of both armies on the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and a bill was passed by the State “Degislature appropriating a certain sum for that purpose. At that time it was not known how many veterans would come, and in order to interest the old soldiers in different parts of the country, the State of Pennsylvania asked the Governor of each State to appoint a Commission to represent his State, the Commission to include Confederate as well as Union men. This was done, and the greatest enthusiasm was aroused among the old veterans over the coming encampment. Meetings were held at Gettysburg from time to time by the Commissioners and the plans of entertainment formulated. Extra appropriations have been made until the sum has reached $416,000.00. This includes $150,000.00 from the War Department which is in charge of the camp. The immense amount of work required in preparing for the accommodation of the visitors can be readily understood when it is known that forty thousand old veterans are expected. The work was under the direction of Major J. K. Forman, the Chief Quartermaster of the United States Army, but owing to the disastrous floods in the West, Major Normoyle, has spent very little time in Gettysburg, being compelled to give his time to relief work, and Major W. It. Grady—his Assistant—and staff. F. Dalton, of the Quarter masters Corps, have been in charge of the work at Gettysburg for several months. Their task, which at first appeared colossal, has been brought to a successful conclusion, and the advance guard of veterans have found everything complete. The camp covers two hundred and seventy-eight acres and thirty more are available if it should be found necessary at the last minute to use more ground. A part of the land used is owned by the Government and other plots were leased from farmers. Captain Dalton arrived on the scene early in December. A month later, Major Grove came. A house on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg was rented and offices were opened. The plan of the camp was drawn up and work began, streets were laid off. poles were set up and telephones and electric light wires were strung. Over one hundred and fifty miles of trenches were dug and a sanitary sewerage system was put in. The regular army tents and furnishings are used—regulation army cots, basins, buckets, lanterns, etc. Five thousand of these tents have been put up, each containing eight cots—one for each man. Two lanterns, two washbasins, one bucket, are furnished to a tent. The buckets are of the usual galvanized type, light in weight yet strong and durable; the washbasins are made of the same material. Pure water for the camp was obtained only after considerable labor—four wells being sunk, one of which is five hundred and one feet deep. A rigid analysis of the water has been made and the officers are satisfied that the water is pure. Several tanks, each holding fifty thousand gallons, were built to supply the number of sanitary drinking fountains which are set up in camp. Sixteen hundred cooks were required to prepare the food. They are, of course, working under the army cooks who will oversee this department. The bread is being baked at the regulation field bakeries which are set up at all encampments where the regular army is in charge. Everything was purchased by concert, and these were given out in day. The meats and flour were from Chicago, and the staples from New York. The fresh vegetables are being purchased in the neighborhood of Gettysburg. The ice cream, too, is to be a Pennsylvania product; the Fourth of July supply of two thousand gallons is to come from New York. Twenty thousand pies will be shipped from Baltimore for the same day, as it has been decided that every veteran in camp is to have a plate of ice cream and a piece of pie on Independence Day. Only the very best foodstuffs will be accepted for nothing is regarded by the State of Pennsylvania as too good for a Civil War veteran. The meals are served in large dining tents, and will be served any time during the hour fixed. This is done in order to give the old men plenty of time to reach the table should they be out sight-seeing. There are special rules in reference to moving vehicles and these may pass only in certain directions for the veterans are to be protected against reckless driving and speeding automobiles. Best stations have been erected in different parts of the field where the veterans who stroll about may rest or take shelter from the sun and rain. There is a large tent—in fact, the largest tent in the world, set up in a field near the scene of Pickett's charge where the different organizations will have their meetings and reunions. The camp streets have been given to different O. A. R. Posts in the Union section, while in the Confederate plot the different United Confederate camps have been assigned to a certain section—that is, the men are in camp just as they were during the war. In a company so large there is sure to be some illness, and arrangements have been made to care for any who may be so unfortunate. A regulation army camp hospital has been erected where the best care will be given to the veterans. It is in charge of army surgeons and hospital corps nurses. Twelve ambulances will be within call at all times. The camp is strictly for veterans and no outsider may eat or sleep in camp so the relatives who accompany the old soldiers must obtain quarters elsewhere, and owing to the limited number of accommodations of the town rooms will be a premium during the encampment. The veterans are expected to bring their own towels, soap, and toilet articles, everything else being furnished except their transportation to and from their homes. In several instances, State appropriations have been made to cover this. There will be special features for each day, July First will be known as Veterans’ Day, when a number of reunions will take place; July Second will be Military Day, with drills and speechmaking; July Third will be civic Day, all the Governors and their Adjutant Generals have been invited; July 4th will be National Day, and all the Governors and their Adjutant Generals have been invited; July 4th will be National Day. Ex-President William H. Taft, will make an address to the veterans, and, after other patriotic speeches. The encampment will end with a magnificent display of fireworks at night. The people of Gettysburg have always been intensely loyal, and the veterans have found the spirit of the struggle changed since the war. The Gettysburg has kept up with the times, as a town, for she has several good hotels, fine public buildings, well-stocked stores, up-to-date newspapers, well-kept streets, and a trolley line running over parts of the battlefield. Houses showing bullet marks are to be seen on several of the streets. The owners of these houses love to display these evidences of the battle for in one of the new houses which replaced an old one which had been struck by a bullet, appears the bullet in the same relative position with an American flag stuck up beside it to call attention to the fact. The veterans will be able to purchase souvenirs of all kinds, for the supply of bullets picked up on the field seems innumerable. The battlefield at present is a beautiful spot. It is easy of access, for it has a network of splendid roads. A large amount of money has been expended in replacing stone fences as they existed at the time of the battle and five and one-quarter miles of these have been rebuilt on the exact location of the old ones. Three hundred and twenty-four guns have been mounted, four hundred and sixty-two tablets have been erected, and more than seventeen thousand trees planted. The trees are planted on ground that was covered with woods during the battle. Altogether more than a million. The money has been expended in monuments, tablets, and roads on the field at Gettysburg—eighteen States contributing to the amount. As far as possible, the lines of battle are marked and by following these, the old soldiers who are already at the camp have found little difficulty in locating the position of their companions during the battle, and today, they are walking or driving over the battleground telling camp-fire stories and exchanging reminiscences of the days of '68. Many of the men are renewing old acquaintances with the Gettysburg folks. A number of army officers who have inspected the camp pronounce it "in every way." There is, of course, a striking contrast in the camp of today and that of the Civil War, for new sanitary arrangements are used, comfortable cots and electric lights add to the comfort of the men, and good, fresh bread has taken the place of hardtack. It is only the tent life which reminds the old soldiers of the Civil War. But the veterans are not costing to Gettysburg on the fiftieth anniversary to open old wounds, but to join hands for the common good of their native land, and the man from the South will cheer "Marching through Georgia" with as much rust as the Northerner will applaud the strains of "Dixie"—thus proving that sectional feeling has been wiped out. No North, no South, no allow now: Firm for-oh Cause, one Flag stand.) Hearts melted into sacred flow For God, and Home and Hoffd* Grand.** Vj«a* _ . /itfJSsi.. 