Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

"The Great Peace Jubilee"

 
 
"The Great Peace Jubilee" Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By F. Robby, May 11, 2009
1. "The Great Peace Jubilee" Marker
Inscription. On July 1-4, 1913, the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg was celebrated with the first joint reunion for all Union and Confederate veterans, many of whom fought here in 1863.

53,407 veterans attended. 44,713 Union and 8,694 Confederate. A huge encampment of 6,600 tents, spread over 280 acres, was erected to hyour and feed them.

The "grand reunion" attracted press correspondents from all over the nation and Europe, and more than 100,000 visitors.

It was anticipated that the event would be, "...not the Celebration of a Battle, but the Reunion of a Nation..." The voluntary meeting of so large a contingent of old foes at the most revered battle site of the war was seen to demonstrate "...that the last embers of the former days had been wiped out... and... there should be proclaimed a new... national brotherhood..."

The old foes readily fraternized in the camp, on jaunts around the battlefield, and during the formal events and speeches held in "the great tent" set up at the southern extreme of the encampment. In the end they agreed to a future joint reunion.

The correspondent for the London Times summed up the unanimous opinion of his press colleagues: "There can be little doubt that the Grand Reunion has been a great and memorable lesson... eradicating forever the scars
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
of the civil war in a way no amount of preaching or political maneuvering could have done."


All photos courtesy Gettysburg National Military Park archives. Veterans camp map courtesy Gerald Bennett.

Text with map: Map of the Great Camp, showing where veteran guests from each state were located.

Text with photos, left to right:

Old foes meet on the steps of the Eagle Hotel.

President Woodrow Wilson attends the 50th reunion.

Baking bread in wood-fired ovens.

Blankets for the vetans camps.

A Pennsylvania Department of Health ambulance.

Hands across the wall, North and South greeting.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: PeaceWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #28 Woodrow Wilson series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1820.
 
Location. 39° 49.198′ N, 77° 14.06′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. Marker is on Steinwehr Avenue (Business U.S. 15) 0 miles north of Culp Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Gold Star Mothers Memorial (a few steps from this marker); A Tale of Two Brothers
"The Great Peace Jubilee" Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By F. Robby, May 11, 2009
2. "The Great Peace Jubilee" Marker
(a few steps from this marker); Culp Brothers Memorial (a few steps from this marker); "Four score and seven…" (within shouting distance of this marker); Better Than a Tent... (within shouting distance of this marker); The Last Line-of-Duty Deaths on Gettysburg Battlefield (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Second Brigade (about 400 feet away); July 1, 1863 (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
 
Also see . . .  Peace Jubilee Marker in Manassas, Virginia. The marker on this page indicates this 1913 event was the first jointly-attended Peace Jubilee. However, the marker at this link indicates the first was held in 1911in Manassas, VA, where President Taft was a featured speaker. (Submitted on December 15, 2009, by Thomas Madden of Manassas, Virginia.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2009, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,795 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on May 16, 2009, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=19063

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024