The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-05-29
OUR HONORED DEAD.
The Men Of Richmond at Hollywood
Cemetery. putting i'm order
the Graves of the
C0NF FEDERAT DEAD.

AT lIc centenary NhuiCil VII lhuiHu"y i"St'
yesterday was appointed as the day upon
which every person in this city not ncapa-
citatcd by age, infirmity, or the cXigcnclcS
of his profession, should proceed to Holly
wood Cemetery for the purpose of work
ing upon the graves of the Confederate
soldiers there inferred. The call was
widespread, and received with cordial en-
thuSiam, hut, in consequence of the linn
tied notice given, great number of per-
sons were prevented from participating in
the proceedings of the day.
THE MEETING.
The members of all the old civil-mili-
tarv" organizations in this city met at an
early hour Yesterday, and reached the
field at the head Of Franklin street be-
tween eight and nine O'Clock in the morn
ing. At the place Of rendezvous the
organizations were met by Major W. W.
Parker and the members of the Executive
Committee, and the entire body then
marched to Hollywood Cemetery.
THE CEMETERY.
Hollywood Cemetery, with all its pie
turcSuuc beauty, has connected within only
feelings of SadncSSand sOrrow-not the Sor-
row Of despair, but that quiet sadness which
can Cricvc while it believes that all things
have been ordered Alright, and which can
be allcyiatcd and suitencd by the thought
that those most loved sleep their last sleep
surrounded 10y the verdant beauties Of
cvcr-changing nature. The long ranks OF
mrn--thc men OF RiChm"nd-amcd not
with muskct, hayonct, or sabre, but with
the axe, spade, and pick intent not on the
smoke and carnage of war, the dcIlrltlm oil
victory, or the silent despair OF defeat, but
upon placing the seal of their love and re-
ncmhrancc upon those whom that war had
clasped 10 the bosom which kills all whom
il touchcs-the long ranks marched silent
" upon the holy ground, and III silence re-
ccivcd the instructions which were gwen
them. Details were made for the different
duties, and it then appeared that the fol-
lowing organizations had reported:
Howitzcr Battalion, 60; Parker'S Bat
tery, 10: the Blues, 20; Life Guards, % ;
Cadets, 40; Greys, 20; Fire Brigade, 6;
hands Of J. 4 G.. Gibson, 20; medical stu
dents, lG; Mounted Guard, 10; Company
"F", 80. Total, 2S2.
In addition 10 these, there were repre-
scntativcS of the Thomas, Otcy, Letchcr,
Crenshaw, Purcell, and Fayette Batteries,
and the Nineteenth Virginia Militia. These
figures only show the numbers when the
organizations reached the ground, and we
are within the number when We say that at
| least eigh hundred men were hard at work
during the greater part OF the day.
THE WORK.
! Under the command of the Executive
| Committee and their own officers, the men
were speedily at work. Tools had been
obtained from the City Council, from
Messrs. Gary, Wilson s. Glazebrook, and
others, and in few moments the air was
echoing with the ring of the axe, the
practical chip of the spade and shovel. II
| was found that the graves could be mound
ed, and the men worked upon them with
an affcctionatc care which showed thcil
appreciation of the dead. Others were
cleaning up walks, hauling gravel, and
aligning or replacing the boards at the
heads of the graves. There was no hest
tating or faltcring the men worked steadily
on, and at ] o'clock, when an hours rest
was taken, they seemed still disposed tt
work without intermission. When the
work was resumed, it went on with the
| old vigor: and although an old hare would
occasionally disturb the working parties
| by halfpast 5 o'clock several Thousand
graves had been wceded, rcmounded, anc
/ carefully marked, while nearly all the walk
and avenues had been swept oil anC
cleaned. Our reporter was working witt
detail which comprised the Nlrglnl;
Life Guards, the Parker Battery, and The
"Blues -; and ii is only by prcsumng tina
each detail worked as hard, as steadily
and as well as that with which our reporte
was associated, that it can be understood
! that so great an amount OF work was doh'
! in so short and sunny time.
INCIDENTS OF THE WORK.
No class, no age, no description of Con
federate man seemed to be unrepresenteC
! in the glorious work. Old and young were
present: those whose hairs were silvcret
with age, and those whose locks curled il
the first cxuberance Of youth; those VIII
had tasted the emptiness and sweet Toll.
of life, and those who, in the rash conn
dence of youth, believed themselves wise
than all who had gone before, and deter
mined to learn by experience that whicl
their superiors pronounced to be ridiculous
/ Stdlc, anu uipIoHtdDiS ga WI P'NoN
But beyond all these, and nobler thai
them all, were those who had been maime'
and mutilated in the fight there wer
those who had groaned in hospital-ward
under the searching pain Of the surgeon
knife there were those who had suftere,
in mind and in body and more than all
busiest among the busy, was one her
boy-a mere child who had los
an arm in the war, and who, wit
an arm and hand, still bravely wielde'
a spade, still bravely worked, to decorate
the graves of those who had fought ant
fallen when he received the wound which
\ in most respects, disabled him for life
| There, too was the one-legged ex-Con
federate, who was proud of his condition
and cared not jot SO long as he could hol'
his own with those who had been NOR
fortunate, but not more praised than he :
all worked, all toiled, all had the sam
thourht-and may the Almighty, in Iii
infinite mercy, never forget to protect thos
who will never forget to protect the re
mains of those whom they have ever loved
cherished, and revered. Two Federal sol
diers Joined the working party, and ap
peared to have no scruples of conscience
caring for the graves of the Confederat
dead, What would the Reconstructio
Conmittea saw of this