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Page 8A - The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, July 5, 2001 Three Days By Lee Stanley On July 1. 2 and 3rd of 1863, the little Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg became famous in American Civil War history. During those three days in July, the bloodiest battle ever-fought on American soil, took place. The battle statistics are almost unbelievable. The Army of the Potomac had 85,000 men and 327 cannons. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia had 65,000 men and 250 cannons. Over the course of the three-day battle, casual ties came to more than 43.000. Names like Big Roundtop, Devil's Den. the Peach Orchard and Pickett's Charge became famous in those 3 days of battle. On the morning of July 4th, 1863, the guns were silent. The great battle was now over and both armies were exhausted. The South had reached its, “high water” mark and was turned back. General Robert E. Lee had taken a gamble to end the war but even with his loss, the war would continue for two more years. The Battle of Gettysburg has been written into history with hundreds of books and articles. Just last week, a new book was written about the 3rd Day at Gettysburg. In 1992, after 15 years of research. Ronald Maxwell, with financing from Ted Turner, produced the movie “Gettysburg”. In 1973, the late Michael Shaara published his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Killer Angels, a novel about the great battle at Gettysburg. President Lincoln's address at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Novem ber of 1863 also had an impact on the historical significance of this small Pennsylvania town. In his remarks. President Lincoln said. “But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here”. Lincoln was correct, and after 138 years, Gettysburg remains the most visited National Battlefield Parks. After the war, the Gettysburg Battlefild Memorial Association began preserving the site. In early 1879, the first of thou sands of memorials was erected. In 1895, the 850-acre site became the property of the War Department. In that same year. Congress passed an act creating the Gettysburg National Military Park and in 1933, the jurisdiction was given to the Interior Department. In 1888, the first reunion was held at Gettysburg. Blue and Gray soldiers reenacted Pickett’s Charge. When the two groups gathered at the “stone wall” on Cemetery Ridge, the high water mark of the Confed eracy, a great cheer arose. Lor years after a war is over, its battles continue in the minds of those who fought and the memories become easier over time. In July of 1913, the 50th reunion was held at Gettysburg. The United States War Depart ment was given the responsibil ity of housing and feeding the estimated 60,000 veterans invited to the event. A total of 6,592 tents were erected on a 280-acre site. Lor feeding such a large group, 173 kitchens were set up with more than 2000 cooks. Live hospitals were built and staffed by the American Red Cross. In all, there were 44,713 Union veterans and 8,694 Confederate veterans in attendance from every state. The youngest veteran was reported to be 61 and the oldest 112. The average age was 72. Lor three days in July, these old soldiers visited and remem bered the great struggle at Gettysburg. President Woodrow Wilson, the son of a Confederate veteran, best reflected the feelings of those in attendance with his closing remarks. “We have found one another again as brothers and comrades in arms, enemies no longer, generous friends rather, our battles long past, the quarrel forgotten, except that we shall not forget the splendid valor, the manly de votion of the men arranged against one another; now grasping hands and smiling into each other's eyes.” A five- minute silent tribute to the dead of Gettysburg was held, flags were lowered to half-staff and bands played the National Anthem. The next 25 years brought about dramatic changes in the United States. World War I would again require Americans to be called to arms. The 1920’s would be times of great excitement and the early 1930’s would be times of great despair. Nevertheless, the coming 75th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg brought about thoughts of another reunion. Organizations, such as The United Confederate Veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic, were contacted in an effort to gain interest in the next reunion. In the fall of 1937, planning for the reunion took on a fast pace. Over 12,000 Civil War veterans were still alive in 1936 and they were scattered in every state and in several foreign countries. Invitations were sent and on opening day of the 75th reunion, 1,359 Union veterans and 486 Confederate veterans were in attendance. Most now were in their 90's and some were over 100. Each veteran was assigned an attendant and as with the last reunion, a tent city was built. Over 400 wheelchairs were provided and first aid stations and drinking fountains were placed in several locations around the tent complex. Buses were rented to transport the veterans to ceremonies and to and from the railroad station. Lor three days in July, these last remaining veterans enjoyed good food, colorful parades and eloquent speeches. As the old veterans watched, President Lranklin Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. A flame on top of the memorial was lighted “as an eternal tribute to the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg and as a symbol of eternal peace in the country”. The last of the ceremonies took place at the High Water Mark on Cemetery Ridge. It seems only appropriate that the final event of the final reunion of Civil War veterans would be on the same spot where the failure of Pickett’s Charge ended the battle at Gettysburg and created Arnold Receives Degree from the University of Phoenix Robert J Arnold of Leesburg received a BSB/M degree when the University of Phoenix Online held their graduation ceremony on June 30 at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix. The graduation was an opportu nity for students who had been working together online - some times for as long as several years - to meet each other and faculty members for the first time. In front of the 1,200 friends, spouses, children and relatives looking on, more than 500 gradu ates from around the country and world received degrees inl6 graduate and undergraduate ar eas, including Business Manage ment and Administration, Com puter Technology and Nursing. United States Secretary of Edu cation Roderick R. Paige deliv ered the commencement address via video, with Senator John McCain also making videotaped remarks. University of Phoenix Online is the nation's largest pri vate institution, with a student population of mostly working and professional adults. in July what has become known over the years as the “High Water” mark of the Civil War. This July is the 138th anniver sary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Books continue to be written about the great military events of those 3 days in July, but there will be no more reunions of the old veterans. They are all gone now. The last Union veteran died in 1956 and the last Confederate veteran died in 1959. Every year, over one million people visit the Gettysburg Battlefield. They come for many different reasons; to see a great battle field, to view the 5,883 acres of beautiful grounds, the 100 historic buildings and the 1,320 monuments. But maybe, down deep in their souls, they come to see the place where in those three days in July so many brave Americans fought a great battle. An historic event that brought the words to President Lincoln in his Gettysburg address, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Red. 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Lamar St. Across From The Super Wal-Mart 229/924-4889 1130 Ball Park Lane; Albany GA 31705 tel — 229-436-HITS; fax — 229-436-4229 www.albanyalligators.com July 2001 2001 INAUGURAL SEASON SCHEDULE THE ALL AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL CLUBS Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 @tn 2 @tn 3 TN 4 TN 5 TN 6 MON 7 MON 8 MON 8 10 @fw 11 @fw 12 @fw 13 @tn 14@tn 15 §tn 16 TY 17 TY 18 TY 19 FW 20 FW 21 FW 22 23 @ty 24@ty 25@ty 26 @br 27 @br 28 @far 29 MON 30 MON 31 MON July 5th - Albany Alligators B-100 Blood Drive at the American Red Cross Blood Center on Dawson Road from 10 a.m.- to 12:00 noon July 14th - Al E. Gator will be at MACI Rents signing autographs, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. July 17th - Mascot and Players will be at the Lee County Library from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. July 19th - Mascots and players will be at the Southwest GA Therapeutic Riding Center from 10 til 11:00 a.m. Blues Brothers will be appearing at the Ball Park after the game. Dougherty County Extended Day Care Night at the Ball Park. July 21st- Mr. and Mrs. Paul Eames will be honored at the Ball Park in Celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary July 28th - Mascot will take part in the Opening Ceremonies for Lee County Dixie Youth Base ball National Tournament August 2001 HOME GAMES ARE IN COLOR ALL GAMES BEGIN AT 7:30 pm BR — BATON ROUGE (LA) BLUE MARLINS FW — FORT WORTH (TX) CATS MON — MONTGOMERY (AL) WINGS TN — (WINCHESTER) TENNESSEE T'S TY — TYLER (TX) ROUGHNECKS schedule and league information subject to change LISTEN TO THE ALLIGATORS ON WGPC-AM 1450 AND CATCH EACH GAME ON A DELAYED BROADCAST ON CHANNEL 7, THE HOME OF ALBANY CITY GOVERNMENT! Sun Mon Tue Wed | Thu Fri Sat 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4@tn 5 @tn 6 @tn 7 8 @mon 9@mon 10@mon 11 TN 12 TN 13 TN 14 @mon 15 @mon 16 @mon 17 18 PLAY 19 OFFS 20 BEGIN 21 PLAY 22 OFFS 23 PLAY 24 OFFS 25 PLAY 26 PLAY 27 OFFS 28 PLAY 29 OFFS 30 PLAY 31 OFFS This Century. The Grand Old Game Gets A New Attitude!