Gettysburg Reunion, 1938

During the early summer of 1938, eyes of America were once again on the cross-roads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This time, the nation saw not a major battle, but a peace celebration, as 1845 former Union and Confederate soldiers encamped for a week to commemorate the pivotal battle of 75 years before.

A total of 116 media personnel registered with the hosting Commission and provided radio and photographic documentation of the veterans' encampment and the July 1st dedication of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial by President Franklin Roosevelt. Much professional footage of these events is available from various media sources. The USAHEC is fortunate to have in its collections two sets of film footage shot by private citizens. Although amateur in nature, this silent short offers a glimpse of "The Last Reunion of the Blue and the Gray" 75 years ago.