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THE RE-UNION AT GETTYSBURG Capt. J. T. Duckett, of Clinton, has1 sent to The Advertiser a copy of the \ Western Democrat, published at Hen derson\llle, N. C, containing an ac count of the rc-unlon of the Blue and the Gray at Gettysburg, written by Capt. J. W. Wofford, who is remem bered by many of the old soldiers -of this county. The Advertiser Itakes pleasure in publishing this account of' the re-union so that many of the old soldiers who did not attend may have! the pleasure of joln-lng with the young* ' er people in getting a glimpse of the scene from a distance. The account is as follows: To the Margret Hayes Chapter, 13. D. C. Having manifested so much interest in aiding veterans to attend the great Reunion recently Held at Gettysburg, it was thought that this report of the trip should be made to your Chapter. The delegation from this county, a Jolly good humored and congenial crowd, consisted of the following vet erans: J. P. Johnson, J. Hi West, J. T. Williams, J. Harper Johnson and J. W. Wofford. Tickets were furnished a majority of them by your chapter. We left here on Sunday preceding the Reunion, and passed in Virginia several towns that were familiar to us during the war, viz: Orange, Oul pepper Court House. Brandy station, Manasses near where the two battles, first and second Manasses, were fought. In one or the other we each participated. In a few miles we cross the historic Pull Run, we see Arling ton in the distance, the house of Gen eral Lee. We soon reach Washington and after a short stay we take a spec ial for Gettysburg and ride most of the way on the great Pennsylvania Railroad. It surpasses In speed and comfort any road that we had ever rode on. About 4 p. m. on Sunday we arrived at Gettysburg. We come to a halt in the town, (the road runs through the town.) Instantly two or more boy scouts enter the coach. "Keep your seats, gentlemen, don't move from your seats until we come for you." Slowly the train moves out on a spur about 1 1-12 miles to the camp. We alight and get together by States and march about one half mile, guided by the scouts, to that part of the camp assigned to North Carolina, and take possession of a large, com modious tent sufficient for eight per sons, equipped with a cot, two blank-' ots, two sheets, and two wash pans.' This the tent equipment. Wo look around: 'tis a city of tents and covers about thirty acres; at night lit up by large electric lights, It Is a sight to behold. The Roy Scouts, of which there are two thousand, are In evi dence everywhere to look after the welfare of veterans and are kind and couro.eous In Imparting information concerning the cant]) and appurten ances. Half past six. the supper bell clangs and we repair to the kitchen at the head of the street, and are fur-I nisbed with a half gallon tin cup, a large tin plate, knife, fork and spoon, and pass by the large receptacles for the food, and are dished out the pro pared meal in abundance. Palling back a few paces to the dining table, you take your seat. The next day a regular stream of veterans from every section of the country pour out from the trains like bees from a hive, until It Is estimated that aO.OOP veterans are In acmp. They told us that 4,000 of the very best cooks and waiters were employed In the camp. They certainly knew how to cook as no complaint was heard about ill-prepared good. The ar rangements were so complete that the whole army of veterans could be serv ed in one hour. The sanitary ar rangements are perfect, no foul smells, no flies; kitchen and streets neat; medical arrangements could not he better; a veteran prostrated by heat or taken suddenly sick. In less than ten minutes, he Is on a comforta ble cot In a hospital and receives treatment. Three artesian wells are In the camp affording over a million gal lons dally, and piped along every. street in camp, double faucets about r>0 yards apart, and too water foun tains bubbling lip about the same dis tance. The kitchen or meal kits were given to all veterans and highly prlz- j od by them as souvenirs. The tents are of the very best and did not leak a particle. So much for the camp. Now, how did we put In our time? Early in the morning we scattered, some to the ground fought over the first day, some to the second and some to the third. Of course, that part where a man fought was the place he wanted to see first. Markers wero placed and it was an easy matter to identify and trace the movements made by the different commands, to visit the springs and branches where we got our water Just fifty years ago today. How it brought up old recollections, the places whore the fight wa.3 botest, and whore brave comrades fell. Then after tramping in the hot sun, a return to camp is made and much said about what was ?een through the day, telling tales, ?racking Jokes and being boys again, ?isiting the big tent and smaller ones, listening to speeches and music. While resting in the shade on a grassy mound where Sickles had formed his advance line, la conversation with a .cry intelligent Federal soldier who had fought there, he was asked this question, "This seems to b-.> a good line, why did you leave it?" "Just simply to keep from being an nihilated. They got about two thirds of us anyway," he replied, with a gtlm smile. The next day we visited the more Important points of the Hold, such as High Water .Mark. National Cemetery, Pennsylvania Monument that cost $150,000, the headquarters of I.ee and Mead ami many others. The -bird day was Bpent very much like the other two in the mean time visiting other camps, hunting up old comrades, some of whom we had not seen since the close of the war. The fourth was Wil son Day, and of course, we all who could, went, and at night the great Uro works on top of little Round Top was visible to all parts of the Held and witnessed by thousands and thousands who same by railroad, auto and car riage. I met two who fought Kershaw's I line of battle on the second, when the j following conversation took place: "Comrade, did you lluht here *' "Yes." "Where?" "Just where we are standing. By jingo, we fought right there," pointing to a monument about thirty yards dis tant. Another gripping of hands and on we go. Such scene* as these were taking place constantly, l verily be lieve this Reunion will clinch the sen timent that has been prevailing to a more or less extent for some t!mo, to give from the National Treasury a pension to Confederate soldiers. When sounded, 1 believe that 49 out of 50 of t!ie old Federal soldiers would en dorse it. By tlie way, Judge Clark, whom many of us wanted to go to the United States Senate on this platform in the last election, visited our tent twice while in camp and stated that he was still lighting for the measure and that he "ouid stop off in Washington and ih?ke them up a little. 1 think la a short time the matter will be tested and pensions granted, some wiseacres to the contrary notwithstanding. There ire some among us well to do, who are too proud to accept it, and It hurts our cause forgetting the many poor old fellows and their who.-, who would be glad to gen it. Not a word was said in all the Bpeechcs or conversations that was In the least offensive or jarring to the most sensitive persons. Surely har mony prevailed. It is useless for me to attempt to (h-scribe this great battlefield. Suffice It to say, it is ground beyond concep tion, the beauty of Its natural scenery, enhanced now by upward of ">00 taste ful and elegant monuments marking the positions occupied by troops. There is no spot in tho world oonneeted with more memorable events than the thirty-five Bquare miles of ground which witnessed tho terrible conflict between the Federal and Confederate troops on the first, second and third of July, 18?:{. There Is but one Gettys burg and it is without doubt the most picturesque and interesting point in America for either the soldier or cltl ven to visit. Thousands from the old world visit It annually. Quite a num ber of hotels and boarding houses have sprung up to entertain thorn. Gettysburg, during-the battle, con tained about 1200 Inhabitants Now it numbers upward of 5,000. The lines of battle are marked by fine macadam roads and where a battery of artillery stood during the battle, there now' stands two cannon pointing as they did then. All the woods and open fields are kept as they were tiien. What I have written contain- hut a brief outline of a description <>f the present camp and battlefield. What good results are to follow till: great gathering of the Blue and Gay. as I see it -it wipes out the last vestige of sectionalism and cement t the North and South as nothing els. could do, If you could have heard their great bands amid the Confe lernte camps play Dixie and other old war time pieces and listen to some Of their host orators and feel the vise-like grip of their hands, and listen to tbeit hearty greetings, "How are you, old: comrade, so giad to see you so glad you accepted our invitation to come Up hpre so we could see you. You thoughl you were right and like 'rue Ameri cans as you are. you fought and fought valiantly for that right, and gave us enough. Wo wanted no more. God bless you, old comrade." All of this endorsing the sentiment expressed by President Lincoln, (as he stood upon the rock wall when he went to Gettysburg on the occasion of, laying the corner stone at the Fed eral cemetery.. '"There were no slouches out there, (pointing towards the Confederate position,) ami i am glad to be the countryman of those soldiers who assailed these heights." Wherever you went upon the Held you were met by old Federal soldiers and upon seeing your "Cross of Holi er," you had to stop and talk with them. Close 10 50,000 soldiers were killed and wounded In this battle, more than the combined losses In the \merlcan Revolution and Mexican war. Almost all writers on Gettysburg have BOmothlPg to say about who wflh to blame on our side. 1 have always held to this that Longstreet was the cause of Lee' failure on the third day by not coming to time on the second day. if you believe Fitz. Lee. Pendle* ton. Early, Wilcox or Gen. Ix>ng, then Longstreet was ordered to open the battle very early in the day. Tl is ho did not do until about the middle of the afternoon and then as Hood's bat talllons of gray are moving down upon Little Round Top, Gen. Warren grasps the situation and rushes troops on the summit in sufficient numbers tc hold It. How easy was it to take It In our possession any time in the 'ort noon I and with It In otir possoslon all tho strongholds of Mead's lines would! have been destroyed and he would have been forced to have waged the light somewhere else, where positions would have been more favorable to our side. Any one standing upon Round Ton can see this for himself. Warren's statue Is standing on a large boulder on top of little Round Top, visible for a long distance. Many monuments are yet to be erected on the field. Arrangements are being made to erect an equestrian statue of Gen. Lee just across the road on Cemetery Ridge in front of where stands that of Gen. Meade. Well, the war was Anally ended. We did not win. 1 am glad we didn't. We are now a reunited country, strong In every respect that goes to make up a mighty nation, with no superior >H0 the face of the earth, slavery abolish ed. Without the war, that would have boon done any way; it was tottering 011 its last legs when the war came. Was Leo's army whipped at Gettys burg? I do not believe now, neither did 1 then, that the army was a whip ped army, but more of a drawn hat tie. The lirst day they were driven back through the town of Gettysburg with two corporals literally torn to pieces, to a position on Cemetery Ridgo. On the second. Sickles with his command, takes a position way out in front of where Mendo had told him. Greely says Sickles was spoil ing for a tight and didn't believe Meade was. Sickles was driven hack by MoLaws and Hood's divisions with heavy losses to the enemy. So in the first and second both sides agree that we go! the best of It. anil on the third, that by the prestlve of the day's light ing, Lee thought he could break, the centre and rout the whole army and the assault was made by Pickett's di vision and a few other brigades, about one-eighth or ninth of his fortes, and failed to accomplish the leslrcd re sult. Having pretty well exhausted his heavy ammunition, ho thought It j prudent to withdraw. The balance of the army was in splendid condllon. The army remains there another day, no assault was made upon them, they surely did not consider then that our army was badly defeated. Our army quietly withdrew without baggage and ammunition back to and near the river and find it too swollen to cross , and there formed our line of battle, threw down the gauntlet and awaited their coming for several days. They never came. I read recently an arti cle from one close to Gen. Meade. In which he says there was about that time a council of war held, The corps commanders with but one exception Insisted on following up and renewing the battle while the river was high. Meade would not consent to give the order and pressed for his reasons said this: "1 have Just read a copy of a communication to President i>.i\is from Gen. Lee in which he -ays that he has the situation well in hau l and can repell any attack made upoh him. 'IjOO never makes any mlsreprc* r.ta .ions.' " The morals of the army was good, j the position was good, their spirits were high, they were hungry and mad and my impression then and now was that if Meade had given battle i.< would have got a licking long to be re membered. Lee cross' s the river and; back In Virginia he soon send.) his i first corps, Longstreet, to reinforce Bragg at Chickamauga, and with the other part of his army he confront;! and holds back the victorious Feder al army, so-called, till the ComitiQ of Grant a; Wilderness. Tills lo n I look like a much defeated army The true lOUKon for falling back aftt.r mo third d;:y was simply this: V int of heavy ammunition. It had boon pret ty well exhausted the last day and the risk was too great to stay '.here without It. Now, really is there no: a little bit too much gush about the meat turning point, the high water mark,*' ami the great victory at Gettys burg, the "back bone of the rebellion broken." etc. Grant surely didn't believe all this talk after his conflict with Lee's army at Wilderness. Spottsyl vania. Deep Hottom, Petersburg and other place* It was In the west, not In the east the sapping process began and the cud Came for the want of bread. 1 have written this because it Is his tory. We return to our homes after the great Reunion glad that we went and those who did not go mtssod by far the greatest occasion of Its kind that the world has ever seen since its cre ation. Krinarkill.!.- ( im- of l>>-outer). "I was attacked with dysentery about July l.*>th. ami used the doctor's wodlctno au?i other retuedtes with no roltof, only netting worse all the (lino. 1 was unable to <h> anything anil my weight dropped from 146 to 125 |H>unds 1 suffered for about two months when l was advised to use Chamberlain's Colli". Cholera an.I Diarrhoea Uemedy. I uson iHii bottles of it ami It gave mo permanent relief." writes H. w. Hill of Snow Mill. N. C. For sale by all dealers. Now is the time of the year that Real Estate changes hands, either for Rent or Sale. If you are looking for U Bargains either in Kann Land or City Property, just 5 call on LAUltENS TRUST COMPANY and you will *1 be sure to deal with people that will save you money. No matter whether you want to buy or sell, we'll look after your interest carefully and save you money. ? 9Laurens Trust Company ~ . R. A. Cooper, President. C. W.TuNH,Sec. v*v Treas. 14M Anderson &, Blakeler, MimnKers RohI Ksiut?- N?h>s. LAURENS, S. C. LISTEN! One lot on West Main Street, One and one-fifth Acres for only $1,500. Vi HIGH-CLASS JOB PRINTING i The Advertiser has the largest and best equipped printing plant in Laurens county. It is prepared to do Job Printing of any kind on short notice and in the neatest style. Mail or Telephone orders from surround ing towns are given the very best attention. Business of this kind is always appreciated by us and is given as good care as if it were contracted for personally. Advertiser Printing Co. Laurens, South Carolina