Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-05-20


The undersigned having. by request Of the
n ilitary authorities, accompanied an expedition
OF sixty men. under command of Capt C. l..
Stevens. Of tho 9th Ohio volunteers. ordered
to repair 10 the battle ground Of Cold Harbor
Ito bury the remains Of such Of our men a. may
be found UNMARRIED" would respectfully present
the following report
We left this city on the Ist instant and re-
turned on the 9Th.
We carefully surveyed the battle. ground of
the FIRST SIX days Of June, 1864, commencing
near Bethesda Church, and running In south
easserly direction between Old and New Cold
Harbor, for distance Of about six miles.
For most ofthe way Along the line ofbreast
works of the federal army We found hs@an bones
and csrcasses. some entirely unburied. Others
partially exposed Mos, Of them bore
marks of having ben buried aud afterwards
erhumed. Some had evidently never been
burned
Generally some portions Of the bones we're
still covered, while hand. arm or foot were on
the surface
In very many cases the head was lying where
IL bad been inferred. and the shoulders and car
cass below drawn or dug up far enough TO reach
the pockets OF the clothing that were lCf.
Sometimes in sitting posture. leaning against
the mould or earth IN front with which ii had
been covered
Ia one instance four STAKES were lying with
one end over the grave, on three Of which the
body they had been use1 to elevate was Ill ly
ing. Other milar instances we're found
In one case a body was found lying near
much frequented road. and referred TO by per
sons habitualy passing as familiar scene, with
out any apparent thought of the proprety OF
burying il. Only portion Of the ribs and small
Ter bones were still there. the main part having
been recently carried about two rods aud deposit
ed behind some bushes.
Near the Bethesda church we were conducted
by some boys to place where they supposed a
body lay, and it not there. The ground
looked fresh. and the grass had not started upon
the spot. while all around il there was a lux
uriant growth. We looked over an adjacent
fence into the border OF wood lot and found
body recently deposited among some bushes.
and some dry brush thrown over it
few rods distant we're the bones Of another
man, lying in gutter, and three heads of cattle
thrown over them
There was, very commonly, a hollow in the
mound which had been thrown over the BODY
from which the earth seemed to have been re
moved in digging up the chest. In such cases
the skull aud lower limbs were frequently lying
in their places.
In some localities the bones 90 scattered
about, il was impossible TO tell TO which bodies
tell accurately how many bodies there were.
We searched diligently for the material by
which to identify the bodies, but found scarcely
any on which We could reply.
There were several piles of paper which had
been torn in small pieces
In some instances small bones were so mixed
in the sand by the roadside that twas impossible
TO be certain that we had gathered them all
Some localities presented appalling proofs OF
md znhapuuanf harharlfv
We commenced our work in the woods near
our encampment on the north side OF the road
leading from New to Old Cold Harbor. Here we
found human skulls, ribs, vertebr@, and the
bones of limbs. hands and feet lying in CHASTITY
profusion in every direction.
In this locality previous burial party had al
ready gathered a large quantity of bodies and de
posted them in common grave the south
side of the road Notwithstanding this We gath
cred up the remains of 400 one hundred men,
as nearly could decide and deposited them
IN a common grave on the opposite side of the
road. The grave is marked by walnut tree at
the west end and the cedar at the east end
Southeast Of this place, over an open field, in
a valley north of piece of woodland, between
two lines of breastworks. we made another grave
in which We deposited the bones of (35) thirty
FIVE bodies found in its vicinity
In the woods, about thirty rods south of this,
and about one-f0urth OF a mile southeast of the
New Cold Harbor House, on the brow of hill
sloping eastward, we made a third common
grave in which We deposited theremains of (i0)
forty soldiers.
This grave is in little open space among tall
pine trees. About eight rods to the west of il,
on the border of some underbrush, in line of
about 50 feet long, lay the bodies of twenty men.
About sixty rods southeast of this spot, in an
open field, near large locust tree. we made the
fourth grave. and gathered up from about the
foot of the tree and the surrounding field the
bones of thirtysix men, and laid them in it,
About hfty rods still southeast of this, by the
south side of n road called the Quaker road, and
twenty rods west OF the road which runs south
from old Cold Hsrbor. near a large cedar tree
we made the fifth common grave. Here de
posted the remains of thirty. FIVE soldiers. In a
ravine about ten rods southeast of this grave,
we found n trench about one hundred feet long,
in which bodies had been deposited aud from
which the covering was mostly washed away
We found it impracticabIs to remove these bod
les TO more desirable locality, and proceeded
TO turn the water course and arrange the grave
as decently as circumstances wonld allow.
The sixth common grave We made is in the
woods by the south side of the Quaker road
aud about three fourths of a mile west of the
fifth. Ii contains the bones of eight men. We
Judge that they had been tkaer prisoners and
carried to a rebel hospital. The graves of con-
federate soldiers in the vicinity were undisturbed.
while the bones of union soldiers were scattered
about as in other places
The inscriptions the headboards of confed
crate soldiers and the clothing still partly euvel-
oping the bones of union soldiers desg-
mated the army which they respectively be
longed
The seventh and last common grave we made
except those which contained but two or three
bodies each, is located about three fourths OF a
mile northeast of the first 1t is near the ives
tern border of a piece OF Woodland, soping north
and about four rods east of an old road on the
border of the woods. by which an earthwork had
been built.
A large pine tree riddled with bullets. marks
the south end of the grave. and bears our briet
inscription
0ns space of about one fourth OF an acre
near the centre of this grave. lying between two
lines OF breastworks. converging TO angle
near the top of the hill. we're the remains OF
forty Eve bodies. but were now lying in every
direction and In every position. Some were
crossing each other Skulls were scattered
thickly over the ground. so that we could not
tell to which bodies they belonged.
We gathered them Up and placed them ia the
grave We also collected several from the IN
irenchmenss south and placed With them; so that
this grave contains. as nearly as We could Judge.
the bones of sixty four men, four of them Off
GERS