This is a collection of correspondence concerning the Washington State delegation to the reunion of Civil War veterans' from the Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, PA. In 1945 the Office of the Auditor of Washington State weeded their general correspondence file and found they had a file of correspondence from the reunion of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. In 1913 the Washington State Legislator passed an appropriation bill of about $15,000 to send the surviving Civil War veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg to Pennsylvania to attend the 50th anniversary reunion. It was a reunion of both Union and Confederate soldiers that fought and survived that Battle. The ceremonies were held on July 1-4, 1913 at the battle field. Because the veterans of this battle were elderly and many financially unable to attend the reunion, the Legislature passed appropriations to pay for their trip. It appears that all the procedures for determining who was eligible to attend were confusing. There are letters from some veterans requesting information about how to apply, what they need to do and what proof was required to prove their eligibility? Because the reunion was for both Union and Confederate soldiers, many of the Confederate soldiers questioned how they could prove their eligibility. It was difficult to prove their participation because they did not receive discharge papers at the end of the War. There is original correspondence from individual soldiers. There is correspondence from the railroads for proposals and quotes on the cost of the transportation and what would be included in the trip. There is a copy of the itinerary of the special train to attend the celebration. There is a list of the veterans in the train program and a typewritten list of all of the veterans with their addresses that made up the Washington State delegation that attended the reunion.
