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The Thing That’s So Heart-Warming About the First Gettysburg Reenactment
Modern-day Civil War reenactments have nothing on the one held in 1913. Fifty years after the momentous Battle of Gettysburg, some 50,000 Confederate and Union veterans returned to the fields where they (or their brethren) had once been locked in mortal combat. The highlight was a reenactment of the disastrous Pickett’s Charge. At the original event, more than 3,000 men died in a matter of minutes. But this time, instead of meeting one another with bayonets and artillery fire, the old men threw down their weapons and embraced one another. Warm fuzzies were said to be had by all.
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Awwwwww. I shall go forth in a festive, mushy miasma now.
posted by Johnny Cat on 12-7-2007 at 6:19 pm
The post did not actually begin with ‘1′…
sorrry…for adding my so-out-of-season’s-spirit-comment to the so-in-season’s-spirit-post :(
posted by septer on 12-7-2007 at 6:26 pm
I thought for sure it was going to be a partridge in a pear tree.
posted by Miss Cellania on 12-7-2007 at 7:12 pm
That’s nice
posted by John P on 12-8-2007 at 2:55 pm
The counter to this sweet story is the 50th anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg, same time period, where the old men got into such a melee hitting each other with their canes and crutches that the National Guard had to be called out to separate them and send them home. A lovely arch was given by the vets to the city of V’burg, though, and spread across Clay Street in front of the national park until the street was widened, then it was moved into the entrance of the park. The older generations of locals said that, when they’d been away from V’burg, they weren’t really home again until they had driven through the arch.
posted by Leslie B on 12-8-2007 at 4:28 pm
The Gettysburg reenactment story was mentioned in Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary as well.
posted by JLK on 12-8-2007 at 6:09 pm
That was boring and un-interesting. Also, by the layout of your site it was mildly difficult to tell if there was more to the article or if the Gettysburg thing was even what the page was about (though maybe that’s just because I thought it was going to be interesting).
posted by falekh on 12-9-2007 at 3:32 pm
hug this!
posted by pooface on 12-9-2007 at 8:52 pm
Awww, so sweet. Warm fuzzies for everyone!
posted by heather on 12-10-2007 at 1:36 pm
But what was happening to the former slaves? They were digging the latrines for the vets….
posted by Adrienne on 8-3-2009 at 1:47 pm