In 1913, 50,000 former Civil War enemies shook hands at the Gettysburg Battlefield
Fifty years after the bloodiest battle on American soil, thousands of aging Civil War veterans returned to Gettysburg to replace their rifles with handshakes in an extraordinary act of national healing.
In July 1913, the Great Reunion brought over 50,000 veterans to the site of their most violent encounter. Men who once charged each other with bayonets now shared tents and swapped stories. The most iconic moment occurred at the stone wall of Pickett's Charge, where former enemies reached across the fence to grasp hands in friendship.
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