Gettysburg Reunion, 1888

I'd love to hear more about this too David if you're in the mood to share.
Eleanor. I have been doing some serious research for the last three years on the various phases of the first day's battle at Gettysburg for a magazine article. My article will be a strategic analysis of phases of the battle as it relates to certain military maxims of a lesser known military strategist of the 18th century. Another article will finally clarify the mystery surrounding the so called Howard-Hancock Controversy. The information I have found is very compelling and rather interesting. I am not quite to the writing point at this time, I am still researching and organizing my materials. I will let you know when I have the articles finished. Please stay tuned. David.
 
I doubt it was the Harris-Cameron Mansion (which is damm big)....sounds more like the old executive mansion which used to stand very near the present day PennDOT building on Forster and Commonwealth. From what I understand of THAT mansion...it was HUGE.


Well, ' old ' Harrisburg had an awful lot of fine, Victorian and much, much earlier buildings. Sickles would not have been as interested in how large the mansion as who dwelled there. They've already gotten rid of quite a few treasures cities like Philly would fall all over themselves to keep- crazy stuff.

Really wish Front St., floods notwithstanding, did not look so much like a the long extension leading up to the courthouse. If one, more law firm buys up one, more grand old place I'm turning up to make the trip on 6th Street, to 3rd. Better, cross the river. At least they've mown the riverfront and removed the painted burn barrels. Like a safari for awhile, getting off 322 heading in.

Have a good friend, well, in law, who probably knows where Sickles hung out, locally born GBG- will be back.
 
My great - great grandfather, Lorenz Kutzelman, of the 39th NY Volunteers ( Garibaldi Guard ) at the dedication of their monument in Gettysburg, 1888. He is the one in the middle.


lorenz.jpg
 
Well, ' old ' Harrisburg had an awful lot of fine, Victorian and much, much earlier buildings. Sickles would not have been as interested in how large the mansion as who dwelled there. They've already gotten rid of quite a few treasures cities like Philly would fall all over themselves to keep- crazy stuff.

Really wish Front St., floods notwithstanding, did not look so much like a the long extension leading up to the courthouse. If one, more law firm buys up one, more grand old place I'm turning up to make the trip on 6th Street, to 3rd. Better, cross the river. At least they've mown the riverfront and removed the painted burn barrels. Like a safari for awhile, getting off 322 heading in.

Have a good friend, well, in law, who probably knows where Sickles hung out, locally born GBG- will be back.
You bring up a good point @JPK Huson 1863 ....if anyone out there ever needs an attorney in Harrisburg.....start at Market St. and walk north on Front....we sport quite a selection LMAO!!!! :D Along the way look to your left occasionally at the river....it breaks up the monotony of the law offices.
 
Longstreet's hat looks a bit silly, no?
IMG_4563.jpg


What? I been growing out the "Burns" just to get this look... dude, I can't keep the checks off of me (well the wife is on me to get a shave anyway)!

Longstreet had some serious swag bro! No wonder he ended up marrying a girl half his age

Man I'm serious, grow those Burns into porkchops & the ladies go crazy! :dance:

Right ladies ladies... um... ladies? :unsure: :help:
 
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Front row: J. L. Chamberlain, D. Butterfield, J. Longstreet, D. Sickles,
at the Gettysburg 25th Anniversary
For the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg the Society of the Army of the Potomac held its annual meeting on the battlefield. At the suggestion of Gen. Dan Sickles, it was stipulated that veterans of the Army of Northern Virginia also be invited to attend, that all together “might on that occasion record in friendship and fraternity the sentiments of good-will, loyalty, and patriotism which now unite all in sincere devotion to the country.” The gathering, held appropriately on July 1, 2, and 3, 1888, drew some 30,000 participants, veterans and their families, mostly from the North. But, about 300 Confederate veterans attended.

Principal speakers at the reunion were generals Sickles, Longstreet, Henry W. Slocum, and John B. Gordon. The Confederates, notably, were those most identified with the spirit of reunification and reconciliation. And, the copious newspaper accounts all stressed those virtues, downplaying, indeed, rarely mentioning, any disaffection.

It was a time for good will and reunification. It was also a significant event in the development of the Gettysburg battlefield. Many monuments were dedicated during those three days, and many more would follow until the Gettysburg National Military Park became the moving experience it is today. Gen. John B. Gordon, then Governor of Georgia, said, in part:

"My fellow countrymen of the North, if I may be permitted to speak for those whom I represent, let me assure you that in the profoundest depths of their nature they reciprocate that generosity with all the manliness and sincerity of which brave men are capable. In token of that sincerity they join in consecrating for annual patriotic pilgrimage these historic heights, which drained such copious drafts of American blood poured so freely in discharge of duty, as each conceived it, a Mecca for the North, which so grandly defended it; a Mecca for the South, which so bravely and persistently stormed it; we join you in setting apart this land as an enduring monument of peace, brotherhood, and perpetual union."

A fuller account can be found at the GNMP blog, "From the Fields of Gettysburg."
Also: "'Killing the Southerners with Kindness."'

The best thing Sickles ever did was help preserve Gettysburg battlefield. An ego maniac he probably thought he was preserving a shrine to himself... but history is crazy that way.
 
Here's another shot, taken at the same time, but after everybody had doffed their hats:
sdfsfvdfc.jpg
Also clearer, and shows a lot more men. The gent in the light gray suit just to the right of Sickles (who seems to be doing his best penguin-impersonation), is identified as Gen. Joseph B. Carr, who commanded the 2nd Div., III Corps, and was later a N.Y. politician and close crony of Dirty Dan's.
 
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What? I been growing out the "Burns" just to get this look... dude, I can't keep the checks off of me (well the wife is on me to get a shave anyway)!

Longstreet had some serious swag bro! No wonder he ended up marrying a girl half his age

Man I'm serious, grow those Burns into porkchops & the ladies go crazy! :dance:

Right ladies ladies... um... ladies? :unsure: :help:

Helen couldn't seem to get enough.
1141a2b78dcea896906633ae214bd415?AccessKeyId=E835DA5F7E8C51780957&disposition=0&alloworigin=1.jpg

The Longstreet Society
 
You bring up a good point @JPK Huson 1863 ....if anyone out there ever needs an attorney in Harrisburg.....start at Market St. and walk north on Front....we sport quite a selection LMAO!!!! :D Along the way look to your left occasionally at the river....it breaks up the monotony of the law offices.


And don't you bring up a terrific point! Have often thought it really is one of the prettiest riverfronts ( no offense elsewhere ) on the Susquehanna? Now they've gotten it down to 2 lanes, and the skills of a Rally driver are not required to stay alive, even more enjoyable. Holyyyyyy heck, how funny was that, 3 lanes at rush hour? The Sure-Kill Express or Front St. at 7 am?

Love to see a photo of the old, massive mansion. You just knew homes matching some of the crazy cool bridges around there once dotted the Burg, Reading era papers it took a hit, getting accused of everything from profiting from the battle in 1863 to cowardice. Heck, have an article somewhere, fierce, old War of 1812 vets got together and demanded to defend the city. Think veteran NY troops misunderstood green militia- from era accounts, they sure turned out.

Ever read " Flames Beyond Gettysburg? " Awesome Harrisburg stuff. Guessing you did around 100 years ago!
 
No idea how none of these men do appear anything but dignified, hat or hair? Well, little terminally annoyed with Sickles so he does seem oily no matter what he wears. Even Sickles seemed impervious to his wound when it happened and maintained that stubborn refusal to complain- you're a little allowed to, losing a leg.

I'm sure there are exceptions, some of which must have exploded across headlines but so many of these couples seemed so close. Honest, really do not mind even poor La Salle because it just seems so nice, people being proud of their spouses and so loyal to them. Grant and Julia, Longstreet and Helen- there's a list.
 
It being the 155th anniversary of the battle, I thought I'd bump this thread about the first of the big Gettysburg Reunions: the 25th anniversary, July 1888 -- 130 years ago this week.
gburg-complier-1888-reunion.jpg
Actually, attendance was closer to 50,000. Not bad for an ad-hoc short-notice event put together by Dan Sickles and friends.

Anther accountof the event:
https://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/the-grand-reunion-of-1888/

There is also an e-book: Return of the Vanquished: Longstreet at Gettysburg and the Reunion of 1888.
 
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There he is! You know, poked around in Bachelder a bit? Found quite a few Pennsylvanians not happy with him- so you're not surprised to see his wife watching him anxiously. The 72nd PA vets, ( yes, I know ) for instance waged a running war with him, vehemently objecting to his portrayal of them. One especially barbed article invites the public to ascertain for themselves where his military title originated.
 
No idea how none of these men do appear anything but dignified, hat or hair? Well, little terminally annoyed with Sickles so he does seem oily no matter what he wears. Even Sickles seemed impervious to his wound when it happened and maintained that stubborn refusal to complain- you're a little allowed to, losing a leg.

I'm sure there are exceptions, some of which must have exploded across headlines but so many of these couples seemed so close. Honest, really do not mind even poor La Salle because it just seems so nice, people being proud of their spouses and so loyal to them. Grant and Julia, Longstreet and Helen- there's a list.
Was Helen Longstreet the woman upon which the novel "The Last Confederate Widow" based?She appears about the same age as does John Bell. .Younger women marring older men was not really frowned upon at this time,it was a way that the daughter who had no expectations outside home esp. in the South was assured of her future .Did not Hood marry a much younger lady.Have who read "A Nation of Their Own"? Can not remember the author.It deals with the Hoods' life in New Orleans .As a novel it was a very interesting portal of the Hood family ,esp. John Bell and his wife.
 
Was Helen Longstreet the woman upon which the novel "The Last Confederate Widow" based?She appears about the same age as does John Bell. .Younger women marring older men was not really frowned upon at this time,it was a way that the daughter who had no expectations outside home esp. in the South was assured of her future .Did not Hood marry a much younger lady.Have who read "A Nation of Their Own"? Can not remember the author.It deals with the Hoods' life in New Orleans .As a novel it was a very interesting portal of the Hood family ,esp. John Bell and his wife.


Out of my depth there, but we have a few members who are huge Longstreet fans? I'm not sure I've read ' The Last Confederate Widow ', not because it's about a Confederate widow, haven't read it only because ' widow ' sounds so lonely! Isn't that awful? Hang on, will ask someone who may know? @FarawayFriend , @Eleanor Rose , you both are awfully good with all-things-Longstreet, do you know the answer to John S. Carter's post, please?
 
Sorry, I can't say, but I don't think so. To be honest, I did not even find a novel by this title. There is one titled "The oldest Confederate widow tells all" and that one is about Lucie Marsden, widow of Captain William Marsden.
@War Horse is our sitting Longstreet specialist and I know he found out a lot about Helen, too. Mike, have you heard about that novel and a possible connection with Helen?
 
Sorry, I can't say, but I don't think so. To be honest, I did not even find a novel by this title. There is one titled "The oldest Confederate widow tells all" and that one is about Lucie Marsden, widow of Captain William Marsden.
@War Horse is our sitting Longstreet specialist and I know he found out a lot about Helen, too. Mike, have you heard about that novel and a possible connection with Helen?
“The oldest living Confederate Widow tells all” is also the only one that I am aware of. It’s fiction, written in 1989 by Allan Gurganus. The main character Lucy Marsden life story bares to much similarity to Hellen to be coincidence in my opinion. One would have to own it and read the forward and acknowledgments to find out if Gurganus credits the Longstreet’s as his inspiration or not. There was also a tv show based on the book back in 1994.
 
“The oldest living Confederate Widow tells all” is also the only one that I am aware of. It’s fiction, written in 1989 by Allan Gurganus. The main character Lucy Marsden life story bares to much similarity to Hellen to be coincidence in my opinion. One would have to own it and read the forward and acknowledgments to find out if Gurganus credits the Longstreet’s as his inspiration or not. There was also a tv show based on the book back in 1994.

:smile:

Thank you!
 
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