For a while it appeared the Great Reunion was to be the last dual gathering of the United Confederate Veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic. The goodwill expressed at Gettysburg faded as the nation plunged into World War I, raced through the "roaring twenties", and was traumatized by the Great Depression. By the 1930's, a new generation of veterans from the Great War outnumbered the old veterans of the past, largely forgotten in time as their numbers dwindled and more pressing affairs touched American lives. A more radical and less forgiving leadership altered the United Confederate Veterans, and with time the goodwill expressed at the 1913 reunion was just a faint memory. As the 75th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg approached, it appeared that another reunion at Gettysburg was out of the question. If not for the persistent efforts of Gettysburg native Paul Roy it might never have happened. Roy spent five years in pursuit of the leadership for both organizations and finally convinced them to have one last meeting on the old battleground. Approximately 1,800 veterans from across the country came to Gettysburg for the last great reunion in 1938, yet it was a far cry from the great gathering of old soldiers twenty-five years before.
No North, No South...: The Grand Reunion at the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg James 1
2ff7e9595c
Comments