1938 Reunion Then and Now

VETERAN POINTS TO SCENE OF PICKETT’S CHARGE FROM THE POSITION OF CUSHING’S BATTERY

Gathered at the monument to Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, a veteran from California points with his cane to the scene of Pickett’s Charge while three other veterans look on. The Last Reunion of the Blue and Gray by Paul L. Roy.

The monument to Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery stands where the veterans gathered in 1938. NPS Photo.

Cushing’s Battery A, 4th U.S Artillery went into action at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. Commanded by Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing, the battery was located in the Angle and was heavily engaged in the cannonade and repulse of Pickett’s Charge. The battery suffered heavy losses: all but one gun was disabled, all horses but three were killed or wounded, 1 officer and 31 men were wounded, and 1 officer and 5 men were killed. The officer killed was Lieutenant Cushing, shot through the head while firing one of the last rounds from the remaining gun.

 

VETERANS SHAKE HANDS Across the Stone WALL on cemetery ridge

A Confederate veteran and a Union veteran shake hands over the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge. The top of the 1st Delaware infantry monument can be seen above the heads of the Union veterans on the right of the picture.  The Last Reunion of the Blue and Gray by Paul L. Roy.

The stone wall and the 1st Delaware monument act as reference points. Much is the same as 1938 with the exception of the partially collapsed stone wall and rehabilitated Brian farm buildings in the background. NPS Photo.

The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg was the last to host veterans of the Civil War. The theme of national unity was heavily promoted at both the 1938 and 1913 reunions—unity between the North and South and unity between friends who were once foes. In this photograph taken at the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge, a Confederate veteran can be seen greeting a Union veteran. These staged, yet moving, photos were a common occurrence at the battle anniversaries. The top of the 1st Delaware infantry monument can be seen above the heads of the Union veterans on the right of the picture.