1938 Gettysburg reunion

1938 Gettysburg reunion
Gettysburg College &
Gettysburg National Military Park in United States
North of the veterans' camp, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial was unveiled during the reunion.
1938 Gettysburg reunion is located in Pennsylvania
1938 Gettysburg reunion
Coordinates39°50′22″N 77°14′12″W / 39.8395°N 77.2366°W / 39.8395; -77.2366
Site history
In useJune 29-July 6[1]
ceremonies & events: June 1–4 [2]
Union and Confederate veterans shaking hands over the rock wall at The Angle
Commemorative coin (obverse shown)
External media
Images
image icon "ATTENDANT" medal issued to veteran's son
image icon Overhead view of dedication
image icon Roosevelt seated with white fedora
image icon Veterans: GAR & UCV commanders, Stamets/Turnbough/Vance, Tift/Gordon/Wilson/Bollinger, Hatch/Wingrove
Video
video icon Films of veterans, parade, camp, Roosevelt, unveiling, & handshake over stone wall with rebel yell
video icon Tank parade at college, Roosevelt in convertible & accepting memorial

The 1938 Gettysburg reunion was an encampment of American Civil War veterans on the Gettysburg Battlefield for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The gathering included approximately 25 veterans of the battle[3]: 72  with a further 1,359 Federal and 486 Confederate attendees[4] out of the 8,000 living veterans of the war.[5] The veterans averaged 94 years of age.[6] Transportation, quarters, and subsistence was federally funded for each veteran and their accompanying attendant.[7] If an attendant was needed it was provided.[1][8] President Franklin D. Roosevelt's July 3 reunion address preceded the unveiling of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial; a newsreel with part of the address was included in the Westinghouse Time Capsule for the 1939 New York World's Fair.

The reunion's support personnel included 19 officers and 250 enlisted men of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and there were 3,185 United States Army personnel in total.[9] A "regular army camp" that displayed modern weapons was east of the northward tracks of the Reading Railroad to the Gettysburg College buildings,[3]: 64–5  while the Third Corps headquarters tent was south of Gettysburg near The Angle.[10] There were 548 police; from the Pennsylvania State Police and officers from New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh;[9] and a Gettysburg College building[11] was the "base hospital"[12] under the First Regular Army Medical Regiment.[13]

  1. ^ a b "Gettysburg Celebration to be Attended by 3,500 Vets". The Daily Times. June 11, 1938. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  2. ^ "Blue and Gray Reunion". Schenectady Gazette. June 14, 1938. Retrieved November 26, 2016 – via Google News Archive Search.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cohen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Salmon, John S (2007). Historic Photos of Gettysburg. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-59652-323-4. LCCN 2006937078. Retrieved February 10, 2011 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Anniversary Reunions of Civil War Veterans". GSA.gov. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "Veterans Reunion At Gettysburg Closes Monday". Eugene Register-Guard. July 5, 1938. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  7. ^ NOTE: The following news article's numbers for reservations are italicized in the table: "TWO VETERANS OF CIVIL WAR CLASP HANDS". St. Petersburg Times. June 28, 1938. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  8. ^ "Blue and Gray Meet". The Cambridge City Tribune. July 14, 1938. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Here and There: ...four-star peak of Big Things that came to Gettysburg..." Gettysburg Times. Times and News Publishing Company. April 21, 1944. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  10. ^ "Woodring, Earle speak At Veterans' Reunion". Reading Eagle. July 1, 1938. Retrieved February 10, 2011. the headquarter's tent of Major General James K. Parsons, of the Third Corps area, pitched within easy pistol shot of that bloody angle where Pickett's men notched the extreme advance of the battle.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reading4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference StarandSentinel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Gettysburg's Last Reunion Days End". The Pittsburgh Press. July 5, 1938. Retrieved February 8, 2011.