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| 14,000 Confederate Veterans attended reunion |
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 Question: In your most recent issue of the Boone County Historian / Oak Leaves, Confederate Veterans still living in 1911 were listed. Are there stories about this group of men?
Answer: There are many stories about these men, some handed down by families and some found in diaries, records and etc.
One record I found told of this group of Confederate Veterans making a trip to Little Rock in May 1911.
J. W. Story, lawyer of Harrison at that time, related the following about their trip to the Great Confederate Reunion:
"Nearly four carloads of good people of Boone County were aboard last Sunday's train bound for the Great Confederate Reunion at Little Rock. The two through sleeper cars, which had been waiting at Harrison, were overflowing and many more were scattered through other coaches. |
| "Some 30 of the old soldiers, uniformed in Gray, were the center of the party and received the special courtesy of everyone throughout the trip. |
| "The journey was without incident other than the usual pleasant experiences of a happy party out for a good time; the changing scenery; first of our North Arkansas mountains; then of the narrow valleys of Red River; and later the broad prairies along the Iron Mountain Railroad contributing much to the enjoyment of the trip. |
| "It was near noon when our party arrived in Little Rock and the party scattered to mingle with the hundred thousand other visitors of the city. In the matter of attendance, as well as the brilliancy of its functions, the 1911 Reunion eclipsed all of the similar meetings which preceded it. 16,678 veterans and 106, 800 visitors were present. |
| "At Camp Shaver, more than 14,000 veterans were furnished with comfortable quarters and fed absolutely free. In the city, at the hotels and everywhere, every effort was made to give the greatest comfort possible under the crowded conditions. |
| "Many distinguished leaders were absent, dead or physically disabled, but nearly all camps were represented. There were men who rode with Mosby and Morgan, and marched with Lee, Jackson, Beauregard and Johnston, Gordon, McGruder, Cleburne, and Pickett from first Manassas to Appomattox. |
| "Forrest's matchless Calvary Corps was represented by a detachment of hard riding, fox hunting Kentuckians, Tennesseans and Virginians. |
| "At the Camp Reunion, held in the Little Rock Park, tents were pitched and 20 bands from many Arkansas towns furnished music." |
| According to Story's account, it took 16,000 loaves of bread; 8,000 pounds of steak; 3,000 pounds of roast beef; 110 cases of eggs; 1,700 pounds of coffee for breakfast, dinner and supper - other provisions included 350 bushels of potatoes; 128 gallons of corn; 125 gallons of string beans; 128 gallons of canned peaches; 128 gallons of canned apples; 128 gallons of apricots; 600 pounds of navy beans; 400 pounds of rice; 300 pounds of tapioca; plus 90 boxes of oranges and other food items. |
| Story ended his recollection of the event by saying, "Everyone carried to their homes a most pleasant impression of the manner in which the people of Little Rock and the state entertained the Confederate Soldiers at the Great Reunion." |
| The sad part about his writings, he did not mention a single name of the Boone County Confederate Veterans who made this trip to the Reunion. Wouldn't you love to know who made the trip and if any stories were later told to family members? |
| If you haven't picked up a copy of the July-September 2006 issue of the Boone County Historian / Oak Leaves, I encourage you to do so. The enumeration of 1911 Veterans, still alive at that time, lists so many important facts about those men. This includes names of parents, place of birth, marriages, children, and even who the children married. You will be surprised just how many families connect by reading this publication, available at the Boone County Heritage Museum. |
| The museum is now observing winter hours and is open only on Thursday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There is still time to turn in your family history for the upcoming Volume II of the Boone County, Arkansas Family History Book, so please contribute to this effort to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. |
| From the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers, we thank you for your support this past year and we wish you and yours a Healthy and Happy New Year. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Breece can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
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