The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-06-01

I
burial of the Alabama soldiers, to pub
lish the following letter from Colonel
McGavock, of Franklin, Tennessee,
which will be found Of general interest
TO our readers:
FRANKLIN, Tenn, May Is, 1866.
Mrs Mary J. BaldTiB:
MAoAW: Your letter, as Secretary of
the Ladies Society for the refinement
of deceased Alabama soldiers, who fell
in battles fought on the soil of this
State, was received to-day. 1t gives me
pleasure to contribute what l can in
aid of this work In order that you
may know (and through you the ladies
of Montgomery what has been done
in the work of reinterring the Confed-
crate dead at this place, | will give here
a transcript from the record book with
reference to the Alabama dead. To
this date, there has been 1900 inter
ments; of this number, there are 1872
from Alabama. Perhaps there are 10
or 20 more from Alabama yet to be re-
moved.
The money subscribed for this work
falls short of the amount due the un
dertakeF, who was persuaded TO under
take the removal of all the dead at this
place in advance of subscriptions This
was done in order to have removed
from fields exposed TO the plow-share,
the remains of all those who were there
buried. This part of the work is now
finished at a cost of six thousand FIVE
hundred dollars; three thousand one
hundred dollars Of this amount has
been obtained and paid 20 the conirac-
tor, who was COME ier7ta soldier from
Texas, G. w Cuppett, Terry regiment
of Texas rangers, woo came forward
and offered To do the whole work, in
advance of subscription aud at less
cost than any one else, and an sure a.
a price as low as it can be done, for s., 90
for each remains Each coffin Is made
of oak, neatly and compaotly made.
The order Of rein terment is by platoon,
Is in each. Each State las far as Iden-
tifcation would admit) to itself; also by
regiments and companies. There are
two lines separated by an avenue Of II
feet in width and in the centre of each
State a monumental space of 80 feet
square. The design is considered ap.
propriate. The spot is beautiful one,
and ifthe means can be had it is the in
tention of the company to inclose and
adorn and besutify tin a permanent
manner, due the gallant dust reposing
init / write these details on the eve
of starting for Nashville, where will
be absent some days. In two OF three
weeks this work =ill be flushed, at
which time the dust Of all the Confede-
rate soldiers who fell in those battles
fought here viii be congregated togeth-
er
have been informed by those who
visited the other battlefelds of this
State-Shiloh and Murfreesboro-in
search Of their kindred, that all identi-
fcahons have been torn away by rude
hande, with a few exceptions) and
have otherwise disappeared. There
fore, would suggest whether an effort
should be made in search for the dead
by any one State separately, or whether
joint effort should not be made to re-
move al the Confederate dead to some
spot selected for that purpose.
Any means sent by your society viii
be promptly appropriated in the way
you desire I would be pleased to have
more leisure and write more carefully
of this sad work.
With very high regard, &c,
JOHN MCGAYoOK.