Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-01
FEDERAL AND CONTEDERATE DEAD
AT VICKSBURG.

The Cincinnati Commercial correspondent
who has visited the scenes of the late con-
fict around Vicksburg, says:
! have been into the cemetery into which
has been gathered the Federal slain, and
observed upon the head d-boards the number
4.637. There are acres of graves, and yet
many Of the bones of the fallen heroes have
not been gathered up by those appointed for
that purpose. On one of the old battle
fields we observed in one pile the skeletons
of seven men.
The bones had been washed or plowed up,
and were piled by an old stump, as irrev-
emily and indiscriminately as we have seen
powders in stony field. In one of the
skulls | observed the gold Filings of the
dentist, as perfect as when first placed in the
cavities. Here and there over a large
plowcd field could be detected human re-
mains. What a commentary was here upon
the glory of warl Who were these fallen
braves? They fought for their country's flag
put stars upon their Generals shoulders,
added brilliant chapters to American His
tory, won the theoretical applause of their
! country, and so far rs personally concerned
have served no higher purpose than TO en-
| rich 4 Mississippi cotton-ield with their
blood and muscle, and reappear in a rich
growth of cotton and corn. Ii is horrible to
think of the blood Of our Union soldiers
being coined into gold-but the next crop
of cotton, by the lamentations of nature
and the commingling laws of the vegetable
and animal world, will present some ofthem
to the market in the lint of the great staple
of the Southland they will be quoted in
the price currents of Liverpool by the penny
ahd those of New York by the cent. hope
the officers entrusted with the work WILL at
least, take care of the bones of these heroes.
Inside the wasting Notifications of the en-
envy the Confederate dead are buried, and
their graves are in no better coudition than
those of the Federals. The ladies of NiCks-
burg have, however, adopted preliminary
measures for the rcinterment of the South
ern dead and the decoration of the places
where tpey sleep. While the Government
is engaged in removing the slain of its own
| armies would II not be a magnanimOus thing
and include the rebel dead? When the
| graves of Confederate soldiers were decora-
| ted by the ladies of Columbus, Mississippi,
they did not neglect to spread garlands over
| those of the Federal soldiers buried in their
midst This simple incident of unseltish-
ness and womanly delicacy has. doubtlessly,
been properly appreciated all over the North
! Human nature is so organized that if Cou-
| gress would include in its plans and appro-
priations proper regard for the remains Of
| Confederate soldiers buried on the various
| battle-lelds, that it would tend greatly te
the rcinstitution Of good feeling among the
| people Of the two recently hostile sections.
| The people of the South are paving their
! proportion of taxation, and 1t is Il sad spec
u. a H.. Il
| mains left hy the Government they help 10
support, neglected and frequently exposed
| by the very disinterment of the Federal dead.
! The dictates of Christiansty would seem to
! demand that Congress should make some
! provision for the proper care of the Confed-
| crate dead. We are sure no generous mind
could oppose it; and as-
! zone touch OF nature makes the whole world kim
| il would have the effect in some measure, to
restore that Fraternity feeling so much need
J cd in the present hour