Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Observations on the 1929 National UCV Reunion

North Carolina only held the National Reunion for the United Confederate Veterans once: in 1929. This is a mystery to me. Other states held the national reunion multiple times. Tennessee held it at least ten times; Virginia, six; Alabama, six; Texas, five; Georgia, five; and Louisiana, four. Even Florida held it twice: once in Jacksonville in 1914, and in Tampa in 1927. Colorado held it once, in 1939, as did Washington, DC, in 1917.

So why only once in North Carolina? With more men provided, more men killed, than any other state, what were the politics behind the reunion site committee? Most of the time, the cities in the running tried to put together the best possible package to attract the reunion to their city. While the reunions were a strain on the cities, they did provide large amounts of revenue.
Notice how the mayor was there, the governor was there, and others not connected to the UCV came out to welcome the old soldiers and their guests.

Also, what happened to the marker?

No comments: