Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-12-21
The National Cemetery at An
80 i0 dersOnvtlle.

| s N COIItbpOnutUt vi tnt Ohieo6V
writing from Apder sonville, Ca, gives th
following description Of the cemetery at ths
place of evil reputation: sq o n. II u e.,
They buried their dead, those prisoner
at Andersopyile, in the pleassntest field Of
all the section theresbouts. II is in th
heart Of the plies. and gives serene restinl
ground for men worn down in the battle
All about the graves blossom the wild few
ers of the country-an around them mos
stately trees keep sturdy guard. ",'
The cemetery covers forty-seven acres aBC
is nearly square in form. II occupies trsc
somewhat larger than the old field, som,
portion Of the timber on the North and tht
East having also been enclosed The white
washed picket fence is completed on three
sides--on the eastern side is rough board
fence, which will soon, however, give way
to a picket.like that on the other Sides In
direction the cemetery is West Of North
from the stockade; iu distance it is about
ene.third Of mile from the northern line
thereof The cemetery is laid out in -four
nearly equal sections, by cross roads inter.
secting near the center of the enclosure. The
North and South road is partly gfaded-the
East and West road is merely staked out,
and is not likely to be soon finished. The
entrance is by plain gate about midway in
the southern line Inside the fence, on tho
right of the gate, on the transverse section
Of cross, is the inscription ts..
NATIONAL CEMETERY, 1''t
+. ANDERsoNvILLE.
| On the left of the gate, inscribed upon a
similar neat white board is this impressive
and appropriate inscription:
| On FAME's eternal camping ground,
. Their sileut tents are spre nd,
Ard GLORY guards with solemn round
The bivouac OF the dead. ....
On the eastsrn side of the road from this
gate, that is, in the southeastern quarter of
the cemetery are three sections of graves,
separated by broad alleys running east and
west. Each ofthese sections contains about
fourteen hundred graves, in long rows OF
over hundred each. On the western side
of the road. that is, in the southwestern
quarter, are two similar sections, separated
also by an alley, and having about the same
number of graves in the long rows. Where
the first OF these alleys crosses the main road,
on the right and on the left, are these in
scriptions: a"o' .r-'
Whether in the prison drear
f. Or IN the battles van
The httest place for man 10 die
g.. Is where he dies for man
The hopes the fears, the blood, the tear, d
That marked the battle strife, l
Are now all crowned by victory :
That saved the nations life.
Where the second alley crosses are similar
ly set up on the right and on the left the
following memorial passages:
+ A thousand battle. fields have drunk
The blood Of warriors brave. ' .i ..
Aud countless homes are dark and drear
In the LAnd they died W saye g.. ...
Then shall the dust . ..- ... a.
. ketnrn TO the spirit as II was; II
Aud the spirit shall reinrn '-
-f Eaio God who gave H. -a' ~.
In the northwestern quarter, in the ex
treme corner of the cemetery, are the graves
Of the guard-ons hundred and fifteen in
number, frem the lst, I'd, Sd, and 4th Geor-
gia reserves. In the the northeastern quar-
ter is = solid section of over fire thousand
grnres, 10 rows of about two hundred each
and here stands the following motto: .,
Through all rebellion's horrors ..
Bright shines our nations fame,
Our gallant soldiers. perishing, .. -..
Have won a dealhless nRnle ....
In the centre of the enclosure, at the
crossings of the roads, is the forty feet pine
flagstaff, erected in july by the burial par
ty sent out from Washington. Nearer to
this than any other, are the graves Of six
prisoners-two sailors and four soldiers
hung July IL. 1864, by their companions for
rascalities within the istockade, n''
These IL, SS2 soldiers and sailors graves
are each marked with plain white head
board thirty inches hiyh and ten inches wide,
inscribed on the inside with name, regiment,
company, rank, and date of death. At first
the bodies were buried so far apart that
there is often more than foot Of space be.
tween the edges of the head boards but in
the large section in the northeast corner,
where those who died last winter and spring
are buried, the space is never more than
four inches. and in many cases is scarcely
two The first recorded death was Febru-'
ary 27..lS64; the last, April 2S, lS65--giv,
ing an averag Q of about 920 deaths per month
for fourteen months. In the months of
August and September, 1864, the average
of deaths appears, however, to have been
nearly five hundred per week; and there
were many instances when the number ex-.
ceeded one hundred per day. fa..