Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-11-02
GRAVES OF UNION PRISONERS AT ANDBB
S0NVILLE.
REPORT OF CAPT. MOORE.
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Oct. IS, 1865.

for future Identification, contains valuable
information, i'll which The people are inter
ested, and will, doubtless, be appreciated
by the relatives amp friends of those who
have given their lives to their country
ASSISTANT QUARTERMAsTERs Office,
DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON,
WASHINGTON d. c., Sept. 20, lS55
Byerd- lEaor-G Gen, NJ c. MEIGs Qaarte,laaster- Gen
eral United States A1my, WdstiRgtoR u. C.
GENERAL: In accordance with Special
Orders No. 10, Quartermaster-G Generals
Office dated June 80, 1865, directing me to
proceed to Andcrsonvile, Ga, for the pur-
| pose of marking the graves of Union sol
diers for future Identification, and inclosing
the cemetery, have the honor to report, as
! follows:
! left Washington on the Sth Of July last,
with mechanics and materials for the pur-
| pose above mentioned.
! On my arrival at Savannah | ascertained
! that there was no railroad communication
whatever to Andersonville, the direct road
! to Macon being broken and that from Au-
| gusta via Atlanta also in the same condi-
! ton. | endeavored to procure wagon trans
pOrtation, but was informed by the General
Commanding the Department of Georgia,
! that "a sufficient number Of teams could not
| be had in the State to haul one-half of my
stores, and as the roads were bad and the
distance more than 400 miles, | abandoned
all idea Of attempting route through a
! country difficult and tedious under more
| propitious circumstances.
! The prospect Of reaching AndersOnville
at this time was by no means favorable,
and nearly one week had elapsed since my
arrival at Savannah. had telegraphed to
! Augusta Atlanta and Macon almost daily
and received replies that the railroads were
not yet completed.
| At length. on the morning of the 18th of
July, the CRAFTY ing telegram from Augusta
was received announcing the completion
of the Augusta and Macon road to Atlanta,
when ! at once determined to procure a
! boat and proceed to Augusta by the Savan-
nah River
The desired boat was secured and in "a
hours after the receipt Of the telegram al
! ludcd to, was on my way with men and ma
! terial for Augusta. On my arrival there |
! found the railroad completed TO Macon
and that from Macon to AndcrsonvUle, hav-
| ing never been broken, experienced little
| difficulty in reaching my destination where
| arrived July 25 after a tiresome trip, oc-
! cupying six days and nights.
| AT Macon, Major-Gen. Wilson detailed
one company Of the Fourth United States
Colored Troops to assist me. 4 member
! of the former company was killed on the
! 9Th of August, at a station named Monte
yuma, on the South Western Railroad
The rolling stock of all the roads over
which travelled is in miserable cond
| tig,, .,,l al e
speed was obtained than twelve miles an
/ hour At the different stations along the
route the object Of the expedition was well
known, and not unfrequently men, W airing
the garb of Rebel soldiers would enter the
cars and discuss the treatment of our prs-
oncrs at Andersonvile, all of whom candid
| ly admitted it was shameful, and blot on
the escutcheon of the South that years
would not cffacc
While encamped at Andersonville ! was
daily visited by men from the surrounding
country, and had an opportunity of learning
their feelings toward the Government, and,
with hardly an exception found those who
had been in the Rebel army penitent and
more kindly disposed than those who have
never taken part, and anxious to again
become citizens of the Government which
they fought so hard to destroy.
On the morning of the Goth of July, the
work of identifying the graves, painting
and lettering the head boards, laying out
the walks, and inclosing the cemetery, was
commenced, and, Oh the evening of August
ID, was completed, with the exception here
after mentioned.
The dead were found buried in trenches
on a site selected by the Rebels, about 500
yards from the stockade. The trenches
were from two to three feet below the sur
face and in several instances, where the
rains had washed the earth, but few iuch,
es. Additional earth was, however, thrown
on the graves, making them of still great
er depth.
So close were they buried without cof-
fins or the ordinary clothing to cover their
nakedness, that not more than l2 inches was
allowed to each man indeed, the little ta-
blet marking their resting place measuring
| 0 inches in width, almost touching each 9th
er.
United States soldiers, while prisoners
at Andersonvlle, had been detailed to inter
their companions, and by a simple stake at
the head of each grave, which bore a mum
ber, corresponding with similar numbered
name upon the Andersonvile hospital rec
ord | was enabled to identify and mark
with a neat tablet, similar to those in the
cemeteries at Washington, the number
name, rank, regiment etc, and date o
death, of l246l graves, there being bu
45l which bore the inscription unknown
I 5 Soldiers"
One hundred and twenty thousand feet
of pine lumber was used in these tablets
alone
The cemetery contains so acres, and has
f been divided by one main avenue, running
through the center and subdivided into
blocks and sections in such manner that
with the aid of the record, which am hav
ing copied for the Superintendent, the visi
tors will experience no difficulty in finding
any grave.
A force of men is new engaged in laying
out walks and clearing the cemetery O
stumps, preparatory to planting trees anC
flowers
| have already commenced the manufac
ture of brick, and will have suficen
number by the 1st of October to pave the
numerous cutters throughout the cemetery
the clay in the vicinity Of the stockade be
ing well adapted for the purpose of brick