User:Target for Today/1913 Gettysburg reunion flag ceremony

"The ceremonies incident to the 'hand-shake over the Stone Wall at [the] "Bloody Angle" ' on the afternoon of July 3rd, in which one hundred and eighty survivors of the Philadelphia Brigade Association (Webb's Brigade) … and one hundred and twenty survivors of Pickett's Division Association … participated, were of intense interest. The two lines were formed one hundred feet apart, the Philadelphia Brigade ' and Pickett's Division ' side of the Stone Wall, over which they had fought with such desperate valor just fifty years ago to the hour--the former with their Division Battle Flag and the latter with their "Stars and Bars" they had carried over the wall behind their brigade commander… Standing on the wall between the two lines the Honorable J. Hampton Moore … presented on behalf of the Philadelphia Brigade Association to the Pickett's Division Association a beautiful silk flag of the United States, in the following eloquent words:^[p. 167-8]… During the address, the standard bearers of the two flags first mentioned advanced midways between the two lines, crossing their flag staffs, and at its conclusion the standard bearer of the silken emblem of our United country, unfurling it on the Stone Wall, ran forward and held it above the two battle flags, while Comrade Bentley [accepted it] on behalf of the Pickett's Division Association, immediately after which the two lines were advanced to the stone fence, … clasped hands and buried their faces on each other's shoulders, while a mighty shout of praise burst forth from the thousands of interested spectators"^[p. 171s] (Report of the Pennsylvania Commission, December 31, 1913).

References

Beitler, Lewis Eugene (editor and compiler) (December 31, 1913), Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg: Report of the Pennsylvania Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Bay (state printer), <http://books.google.com/books?id=swkTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA168>. Retrieved on February 6, 2011.