Author: Charles A. Earp

In 1938 every living veteran of the Civil War was invited to attend a final joint reunion of the Blue and Gray on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. 1,845 old soldiers made this historic pilgrimage. Each veteran was given free transportation for himself and an attendant. Most were in their nineties and many were over 100 years old. An estimated 250,000 people witnessed the lighting of the Eternal Peace Light Memorial on July 3. One of the faces in the crowd was a young man named Charles Earp.

Charlie was on a mission. He wanted to see living history—the veterans of both armies who had traveled from all over the country to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. With an uncommon appreciation of their personal histories, he set about to interview as many of the old soldiers as possible. When he returned home three days later, he combined the notes from 60 interviews with newspaper clippings and other mementos into a scrapbook that he carefully kept for over 65 years.

Now you can read Mr. Earp’s account of his journey to Gettysburg in 1938 and his interviews with the veterans. Also included is an overview of the event and photographs of the veterans and the different badges issued to the participants.

Softbound, 36 pages, 6" x 9", 20 illustrations,   

ISBN 1-929806-01-09