Brotherhood Undivided

The first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861, when Southern forces bombed Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The nation had been heading toward conflict for many years because of the economic and political differences between Northern and Southern states. The biggest difference was over slavery. In the South, slavery was legal. Slavery was illegal in the North.

Both North and South had advantages in the war, The North had more manufacturing and a better railroad system. The South, especially at the beginning of the war, had better military leaders. They also knew they only had to fight long enough for the North to give up hope of bringing the states that had seceded, or left the Union, back in

Many famous battles were fought during the four-year struggle but none is more famous than the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863. On those days, the course of American history was forever changed.

The bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought on the hallowed grounds of what is now the Gettysburg National Cemetery. The Friend To Friend Monument by sculptor Brother Ron Tunison is situated here. This civil war divided the country Confederate (southern) Soldiers against Union (northern) soldiers. Although the country was so divided, Masonry remained strong and undivided.

On July 2, General Lee attempted to defeat the Union army by attacking both ends of the Union encampment in another extremely hard-fought day with thousands of casualties. One of the most significant events of that day was the defense of a hill called Little Round Top by a Maine regiment commanded by Colonel (later Major General), and Brother, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. When his men ran out of ammunition, knowing that if he gave up his position the entire battle might be lost, he ordered a bayonet charge that might have been suicidal. Instead, he won a highly-praised victory, plus a Medal of Honor, and fame that resulted in his being later be elected Governor of Maine four times.

The climax of the battle took place on July 3. After a quiet morning, in early afternoon General Lee ordered the most massive cannon attack ever on the North American continent. Then, he ordered about 12,000 men to attack the center of the Union position, across about a mile of open country. Both the Southerners and Northerners generally showed great courage in facing each other, realizing that this might be the event that would decide the war and the fate of our country. Among the leaders of this event, known as Pickett's Charge, was Confederate Brigadier General, and Brother, Lewis Addison Armistead. The leader of the Union force being attacked was the Union Major General, and Brother, Winfield Scott Hancock.

Armistead and Hancock were both career soldiers, and before the Civil War they were friends when both were U.S. Army officers in California. Both were also Freemasons.

When the Confederate attack reached the Union line at Gettysburg, there was fierce fighting. General Armistead was shot twice, and as he went down he gave a Masonic sign asking for assistance. A fellow Mason, a Union officer named Henry H. Bingham, then a Captain, later a higher officer and then a very influential Congressman, came to Armistead's assistance and offered to help. Armistead reportedly asked to see and talk with his friend General Hancock, but he was told that Hancock had been very badly wounded just a few minutes earlier. Union Brother Bingham then helped Confederate Brother Armistead off the field and to a hospital, but Armistead died two days later. General Hancock, to the surprise of many, recovered and resumed his command later in the Civil War. Upon recovering, Hancock was given Armistead’s gold watch.

This incident, of a Freemason who was a Union officer helping a Freemason who was a wounded Confederate officer, is one of the greatest examples of the ideals of Freemasonry in action. In 1993, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania completed and dedicated a monument on the Gettysburg National Cemetery, with the cooperation and support of the United States government, that shows Brother Bingham, a Union officer, assisting Brother Armistead. This statue is extremely dramatic, and it is called the "Masonic Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial".

This stirring monument depicts the seriously wounded Confederate General Lewis A. Armistead handing his gold watch to Harry H. Bingham, a Union Captain. Both men were Masons, and Bingham had rushed to Armistead’s side when the General gave a Masonic sign of distress asking for assistance after being shot twice. Bingham assisted Armistead to a hospital, where he died two days later. The Mason’s Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania undertook this monument to immortalize one of the greatest examples Freemasonry’s bonds of friendship, compassion and brotherly love. Ron Tunison, the memorial’s sculptor, is a Freemason. The larger-than-life figures created by the noted sculptor, Bro. Ron Tunison, of Cairo, NY, portray Union Captain and Brother Henry Bingham coming to the aid of Confederate General and Brother Lewis Armistead during Pickett's charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. It stands as a lasting tribute to the bonds of Brotherhood that transcend political differences and the emotions of war.

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