How the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion Came to Be the ‘Greatest Gathering of Conqueror and Conquered’

[rangerrebew]

How the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion Came to Be the ‘Greatest Gathering of Conqueror and Conquered’

Fifty Years After the Civil War Battle, Politicians Preached Patriotic Amnesia, While Veterans Attempted to Find Solace



America may have been embroiled in conflict at the time, but the Civil War veterans assembled in Gettysburg in 1913 focused on healing. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

By Thomas R. Flagel | February 6, 2020   

The old veterans couldn’t wait to come. Roads ran thick with automobiles and horse buggies. Most arrived on the nation’s sprawling rails. A few walked more than 100 miles. An 85-year-old man, fearing his son would prevent him from going, crawled out a window and caught a train.

Altogether, an estimated 50,000 of the blue and gray trekked to the Great Reunion, a grand commemoration at iconic Gettysburg, on that battle’s 50th anniversary: July 1 to 3, 1913.

 https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2020/02/06/how-the-1913-gettysburg-reunion-came-to-be-the-greatest-gathering-of-conqueror-and-conquered-in-history/ideas/essay/

[EdinVA]

Great write up.. thanks

[catfish1957]

How the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion Came to Be the ‘Greatest Gathering of Conqueror and Conquered’

Wonderful article.  Thanks so much for sharing. 

Article so well defined how those who lived through the most hellacious 4 years of this nation's history.  How they  contemplated and commemorated an event that is so beyond our level of seeming possible.  So moving to them that 50,000 70-100 year old men would venture out in failing health and old age to say good bye to fallen comrades. 

One of my favorite side notes on this piece was this little snip-it......

President Wilson arrived and delivered yet another ingratiating tribute to warriors and warfare. In a brief and stilted address, Wilson insisted “We are made by these tragic, epic things to know what it costs to make a nation—the blood and sacrifice of multitudes of unknown men …” Once again, few veterans were in attendance. Those who were present generally expressed disappointment. “President Wilson failed to stir the heart of the veterans,” observed one reporter, “not once was he interrupted by a handclap or a cheer.”

Seems our wonderful veterans were pretty keen on what kind of person POTUS Wilson was. 

Were they ever right.

[rangerrebew]

It compared very poorly to the Gettysburg Adddress, the greatest tribute ever to the military, in just 279 words of which about 70% were one syllable.  Although Lincoln wasn't the main speaker when Gettysburg Soldiers Cemetery was dedicated, that was Sen. Edward Everett, who spoke for nearly two hours and who later told Lincoln he had said more in 2-3 minutes than than he (Everett) had said in two hours.

[catfish1957]

It compared very poorly to the Gettysburg Adddress, the greatest tribute ever to the military, in just 279 words of which about 70% were one syllable.  Although Lincoln wasn't the main speaker when Gettysburg Soldiers Cemetery was dedicated, that was Sen. Edward Everett, who spoke for nearly two hours and who later told Lincoln he had said more in 2-3 minutes than than he (Everett) had said in two hours.

You really have an interesting point about Lincoln's choice the Address.  As a genealogist, I have combed through 1000's upon 1000's of pages of writing from the 1700's and 1800's.  The fact is that people back in the day spoke very flowery and verbose back in the day.  Vocabularies (IMO) were double of what they were today, which I attribute that reading was the most prevalent form of entertainment in the day. 

To give a kind of a modern example.  For those who watched the show Justified, if you remember Boyd Crowder,....   He is an example of how people wrote, and probably spoke in that era.