Stories of History, Horror and Humor and the People Caught in Between.

Lee Vetter is a writer and storyteller, exploring the past, the imagination, and the everyday moments that make us human.

The Old Soldiers Show:

Stories from the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion

“This is the old soldiers show—they paid the price of admission fifty years ago.” New York Times, June 29, 1913

The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion has been all but forgotten, yet it was one of the most extraordinary gatherings in American history.

This isn’t your typical history lesson. If you love stories about the past but hate slogging through endless dates and details, this is for you: a look at a once-in-a-lifetime event where old enemies met and swapped tales around the campfire. The story of Gettysburg is a three-act drama, and each part is essential to understanding its full impact on the Civil War. The first act was the battle itself, July 1–3, 1863. The second took place just months later, when President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address. The third had to wait fifty years, when 50,000 veterans from the North and South returned to Gettysburg, not with rifles but with handshakes. The politicians belted out their long-winded speeches about national healing and reconciliation. But this event wasn’t about the speeches; it was about the rank-and-file privates who pulled the trigger and carried the scars.

The real reunion happened in ones and twos, as old men in the blue and the gray wandered the ground they had killed over. There, they found each other again, sometimes with a handshake, sometimes with a shared experience, and sometimes with nothing more than a nod. They hadn’t set out to reconcile; most came to remember, and to mourn. Yet in those small, human encounters, these former enemies made peace with their past

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The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion Video Series

Go Beyond the Book.

Explore the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion through this 12-part video series.

Each episode brings a different part of the story to life: The Former Enemies, the Great Camp, the Forgotten Black Vets, the Lost Film, the Cyclorama, the Monuments, and the remarkable reunion that captured the nation's attention.

A historical photo from the 1913 Gettysburg reunion showing a group of men and women, some in early 20th-century attire, standing outdoors with mountains in the background. Overlay text reads: "The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion, 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Episode 1, Why did 55,000 veterans return to Gettysburg?"

Historical black and white photograph of tents and soldiers at a military camp during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, with event text overlay about the 50th anniversary of the battle.

Vintage black and white photo of a group of old soldiers standing outdoors, with some holding flags, under a cloudy sky.

Black veterans in military uniforms standing in formation during the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, with text overlay indicating the episode number and title of a historical series.

A vintage photograph of two Black men wearing suits and wide-brimmed hats. The image is part of a promotional graphic for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, with text indicating the episode number 5 and details about the event.

A historical poster commemorating the 1913 Battle of Gettysburg, featuring an old cannon with a cloudy sky and treetops in the background. It marks the 50th anniversary of the battle, episode 6 of a series, with the quote "I never surrendered to the Yankees."

Black and white photo of five older men standing in a row, holding hats, in front of a striped military tent, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, with text overlay about the 1913 Gettysburg reunion and soldiers.

Black and white historical photograph of the top of the Pennsylvanian arch in Pittsburgh, with workers on scaffolding and a large electrical tower on the right side, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1913.

Black and white image showing two young boys wearing hats and coats, aiming a long object, possibly a rifle, at something outside the frame. The text overlay reads: "The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion, 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg."

A vintage black-and-white photograph of former enemies, including military officers and officials, shaking hands during the 1913 Gettysburg reunion anniversary, with trees in the background.

A historical painting depicting the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, with soldiers fighting, trenches, and smoke in the background. Overlaid text reads: 'The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion, 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Episode 11. The painting that brought the war back to life.'

Black and white photo of soldiers in military uniforms and hats, with a man on horseback in the background. Overlaid text reads 'The 1913 Gettysburg Reunion, 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Episode 12, The Final Episode: A Prayer and a Benediction.'

Other Books by Lee Vetter

What Waits in the Shadows:

A Dark Fantasy Horror Novel

After a horrific tragedy, Eli Brooks leaves the safety of his hometown and journeys across a brutal frontier where the dead wander the dark, but the thing leading them is far worse.
WHAT WAITS IN THE SHADOWS

The dead rise after sunset.

Beyond the silverdust wards and timber walls of the Brindlecreek settlement, the frontier has become a graveyard haunted by the withered—violent undead creatures driven by hatred for the living. Most survive by following one rule:

NEVER GET CAUGHT OUTSIDE AFTER DARK.

After a horrific tragedy, Eli Brooks leaves home alongside his father on what should have been a routine trading journey. Instead, they discover a terrifying entity known only as the Velcren: an intelligent nightmare capable of commanding both the living and the dead.

As the frontier begins to collapse, Eli must fight his way through the dying wilderness to warn those still left standing. But survival comes at a terrible cost, and every mile toward home drags him deeper into a nightmare that refuses to die.

For readers who love grimdark fantasy, frontier horror, dark fantasy adventure, and emotionally devastating survival stories, What Waits in the Shadows is a brutal tale of grief, guilt, and the terrible cost of surviving another night.

Buy the Book

What Waits in the Shadows is also available as a three-part e-book series, with all three parts available through Kindle Unlimited.

Book cover titled "What Waits in the Shadows: Part I The First Night" by L.M. Vetter featuring a dark silhouette of a person walking down a deserted road surrounded by dark trees, with a fiery red sky overhead.

A Retail Carol:

A Holiday Novel of Humor, Department-Store Madness & Christmas Mayhem

Shopping for a last-second gift on Christmas Eve isn't for the faint of heart.

The Westbrook Trading Company is a struggling department store, slowly losing its battle with online shopping. With flickering fluorescent lights, outdated shelves, and the relentless buzz of the Rat Pack Christmas playlist, the store is a weary monument to a retail era long gone by. But tonight, it’s the unlikely epicenter of desperation, nostalgia, and absurdity.

As crowds descend in search of the elusive Plastic-Thing-3000—this year’s must-have gadget—an ensemble cast of bargain hunters, exhausted employees, and misguided romantics collide in a night of chaos, longing, and tender moments. At the helm is Archibald Hensley III, a joyless miser clinging to cassette tapes and outdated ideals, whose personal regrets echo through the aisles like the Ghost of Christmas Gone Wrong.

Between a pastor who cut his service short to go last minute shopping, a mother trying to win a toy for her daughter, a chintzy snow globe with too much history, and two best friends fumbling to relive their glory days, the night unfolds as a bittersweet, darkly funny reminder that sometimes the worst places bring out the most human parts of us.

A Retail Carol is a satirical holiday story for anyone who’s ever spent Christmas Eve fighting for a parking space, battled for a bargain, or tried to buy love with a receipt.