The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-11-27
For the Jeffersonion Democrat.
Leaf from NV Diary One Bows Burial.

~|S"s aAoih ~ DAoiy ShO ooy ouIldl,
The military hospital of T LARGE.
airy and elegant building; said to be we'll
regulated and lis inmates kindly attended
to. so far as their comforts. necessarily lin.
itod are concerned 1; the patients invariably
passing high encouiums upon the softnoss
of the beds aud whiioness of the sheets.
At the period Of which write the patients
were few, thus sfording tho Steward and
others connected with the establishment
many opportunities and much leisure.
which were generally spent around the rail.
road depos, the photographers tent or ad-
adjacent stores. One would Imagine that.
with such an amount of spare time, suffi
cicnt attention would be given to the proper
intorment of their dead, but no ! One in.
hope it is an isolated one. and that mover
another such shall occur to wound tho feel.
ings, nor cause a shudder at the thought of
what may be our own condition when lef,
stark and stiff at the mercy of the careless
living.
The number Of troops wero few at the
post" Of T-perbsps five hundred /;
being used as protection to the rnilroad. aud
commssary stores as they were passed along
the limo to the front" One dav, after din
ner. as was my custom. proceeded to take
a strolI-anywtero 1t was delightful af.
ternoon for the season, and the suns rays
were very warm. l had rnmbled about a
third Of a mile from camp. aod within sight
OF the soldiers burying ground. The grass.
less graves seemed redder and newer than
usual Thither determined to go. for
loved to visit the resting place of tho do.
parted. to road the roughly -penciIed ephi.
taphs upon tho rude head boards. probably
from an inquisitive surmise Of discovering
tho name of some past acquaintance. Once
there. newly dug grave met my gaze-
Completely fashioned. and within few feet
OF it. lay coffin upon tho ground. | could
not, for some timealow myself to think that
the coffin contained a body else why should
1t lay there, and not a soul noar IL? Per.
sous never could have loft things in tina,
state to go to dinner, then return to com.
plete what could have been done n ten min.
u'os 1 was perplexed; but, on raising the
coffin little way. was convinced that there
assuredly was the weight of the dead I
left the ground satisfied that there were
barbarisns somewhere, my fancy corjuring
pictures of--dying in ospital-away from
his regimen'-no one knows or cares for
him-but. what would his mother think,
could she see what had just witnessed !;
That could not hnd roply to.
On the following morning. l re. visited tho
sacred spot. not in expectation of being
paned by the sight of the previous day-but
there it was the Same open grave and
unburie6 body. IL seemed horrible. was
just upon tho point Of finding my nearest
way to Brigade Headquarters, to acquaint
the General Of tho circumstances, when |
Observed party of fvo men coming from
the direction of the hospital. some of them
carrying shovels. awaited their arrival
cav tho body lifted into the grave by two of
tho party, (negroes) then questioned the
Steward. also of the party. why such breach
OF duty should exist at q post whore were
so many men with leisure at their disposal
He seemed as ignorant of the reason as my
self During the day. some sort of an in.
vestigation was instituted tho result, as
nearly as could learn, approximated to
the following: -Four men had been detailed
from one of tho regiments to dig u grave {;
that completed. they returned to their quar-.
ters, as thoy had no orders 10 report else.
where. On the other hand, tho person Or
dered to drive the body to the grave, Qt was
said.) left his ambulance when abou, half
way to the graveyard. to the charge of two
negroes. they leaving the body by the grave.
then falsely reporting to the driver that
they had eft il with the detail who dug the
grave.
Thus tbere was buried ono of our coun.
try's defenders, who met death by disease
in hospital as honorably as though he had
fallen by the bullet of the foe. No feeling
comrades hands to lower him to his rest.
nor whisper regrets at his departure /; not
oven a farewell shot broke the stiffness
of the autumn air. A wOather.stained piece
of board marks tho spot, and simply pen.
ciled upon it
John NJ. Wicker, Co. G, 4th East Tenn
Iufty."