New-York daily tribune., 1866-02-14

| IN
nssr,y all eouthern land tie coil liable 70 be
washed awsy BY the rains and on the slopes % &c
bills ravnes are now iGrt1 n 70 can have Kept
their footing on these hiisides when slippery WIN
iraH. ..u., NTH its
.oDth end is tbe hospital stockade-sO0 feet by 3 ~
contains % sheds for the most part wfbout s' hn
erected about three months before the pace wa, % IN
pcb so msnv brave men died consisted only OF tents
enclosed by board fence. and snrrounueu ~ a
Confused heaps Of rubbish alone marx 'he pD'' ~ Y"
oppied. III. ,;,o,, and neay
Anderson Station is the officers stochaoe shiaI' .I -
enclosure in which were never hnpilsoheu inVo
| go officers--and u was cnlehJ usou 'Vi 'N' '"
The cemetery, around which the chief interest mwt
gather distant about 300 yards IRON the soekaIe IN
norh westerly direction The graves, placed side by
side in close cont rowe cover nine acres DIVIDED
ioto three unequal lots by two roads which ineiseci
each Other nearly right angles The fourth space is
shl unoccup.ed, except by few graves Of "Copfed'
crate soldiers.
No human bodies were found exposed, and none were
removed The place found in much better con
dton than had been anticipated, owing TO the e1cei'
lent measures taken by Major Gen. Wilson, eommaLu,
ing at Macon and humane public spirited cltIeh VI
Fort Valley, Georgia. Mr.. Griffin, who IN passing on
the railroad, informed by one OF the ever'iahiui
negroes that the bodies becoming exposed, and
were rooted up by animals. Having verlhed TINS stale
ment lie collected few negroes, sank the exposed
u
reported the facts TO Gen. Wilson, and requested au.
tholy to take steps for protecting the grounds That
pa'rotc officer visited Andersonyile IN person. ap,
pointed MIR. Griffin temporary superintendent ana
gave him such limited facilities could be furnished
In that destitute country 1t was determined TO lncose
square Of fifty acres, and at the time OF our arrival
the fence nearly onethird built-from od IupOer
found about the place. He had also erected brick
kiln and was manufacturing brick FOR drains to con.
duet the away from the graves and protect ana
strengthen the soil against the action OF heavy rams
,h NJ aNo
and few mules at work on the grounds. i have uh'
derstood that that gentleman furnished the labor al MS
own cost, while Gen. Wilson issued the necessary Ia
tiOns.
carry forward the work well commenced. Additional
force was obtained from the military commandant at
Macon for completing the nolosure and erecting the
head boards IL that the dead had been buried by
Union prisoners parOed from the stockade and hospital
for that purpose Successive trenches capable OF con
tanning from 100 TO 40 bodies each thicxy set with
little posts boards with numbers in regular order
carved upon them, told TO the astonsbed and tear
dmmed eye the sa story OF buried treasures. II was
only necessary to compare the number upon each pest
OF board with that which stands opposite the name on
the register and replace the whole with substan
tial uniform and cOnely tablet, bearing not only the
original number but the name, company and regiment
and date of death Of the soldier who slept beneath
/ have been repeatedly assured by prisoners that
great care was taken at the time by the to whom
fl the sad task OF originally marking this astonishing
number Of graves perform the work with fahulness
and accuracy If it snail prove that the work performed
bv those who followed under circumstances much
more favorable executed with less fafulness and
accuracy than the former 1t will be subject OF much
regrebut fortunately not yet beyond the possibility 0i
correction The number OF graves marked Is l2,%2O
The original records captured by Gen. Wilson fur.
nished about TO- 500 but book Of the record had
not been secured 2 900 names were supplied from
COPY (of his record made by Mr. Atwater in the
Andersonyie prison. and brought by him to Annapolis
on MS return with the paroled prisoners.
Interspersed throughout this Death Register were
400 numbers against which stood only the dark word
unknown" So scattered among the tbchy desig.
mated graves stand 400 tablets bearing only the mum
Der and the touching inscription Unknown Union
Soldier
Substantially nothing was attempted beyond inclosing
the grounds, Identifying and marking the graves
placing some appropriate notices at the gates and
along the spaces designed for walks, and erecting n
flagstaff in the center Of the cemetery The work Was
completed on the l7,h OF August and the party took
the route hOmewsrd by way Of Chattanooga, Nashville
and Cincinnati, arriving at Washington Oh the morn.
ing Of August a.
The health OF the party during the expedition was
markaby good when the season Of the year. the ia
tigue and the want Of customary accommodations are
taken into consideration. Cases Of slight chls and e
yers not unfreqSnt but during the entire time
we had only one case of illness and that
grief terminated fatally Edward Watts Of George.
town, ID. c.. clerk in tho q NJ. Department in this
city scktned OF typhoid fever during the passage mp
the Savannah River, and died the 10th day OF Au-
| gust HIS remains were taken home 10 his frehds.
Mr.. Watts was young man Of education and refine
ment, and OF the highest type OF moral and religious
|
well. have thought that he might be regarded the
| last martyr of AudersOnyile.
The future Of this historic spot cannot fail TO cons,
tute subject Of deep and abiding interest 10 the people
of this entire country, and il would seem fitting that IT
should be preserved one Of the sanctuares of the
nation and be in due time decorated with appropriate
honors. Its susceptibility Of internal improvement is
very great Water be had for irrigation and the
climate will produce nearly all the fora Of the tempe
rate Both national gratitude and personal afco
tion will suggest the erection Oi suitable monument
within the cemetery where IL desirable may be pre-.
served durable form the names OF the martyrs who
sleep around. And as the land on which all these In
ersstng associations clustered s sill the property
Of private individuals never having passed from the
hands OF the original owners, II would seem desirable
that the cemetery. at least and its immediate surround
ngs become the property OF the nation. mile square
will embrace all points of general and historic interest
There are numerous smaller burial places IN the
State OF Georgia which. from their seeming lesser i'm.
portance will scarcely be kept up national cemete-
ries and in reference TO which. without venturng to
suggest, would merely remark that the 81
closed at Andersonve would afford ample space for all
whom il might ever be deemed advisable TO remove 10
that point.
During the occupation of Andersonville as prison.
it was punishable ofiense for coored man woman
10 feed shelter aid or even converse with the prison
ers on parole To others they had no access. have
been informed that they were not allowed about the
prison grounds; and great their snperstitions
horror OF the cruees perpetrated upon the prisoners
that only a comparatively small NUMBER had ever found
the courage to visit the cemetery up TO the time Of
arrival But the presence Of so many Northern people
on suc1 an efTahu ahC eoPecIaiy ihus' eHlies over
came their fears and they visited the cemetery and
ysef by scores. Inez, women, and children. some
times 100 in day. 1t no uncommon occur
renee, upon opening my tent in the morning TO find
group standing 10 front OF it, who had walked IS or 20
miles to the Yankee lady" and ask her "if it
were true that Abraham Lincoln dead, aud they
were free" and how Massa Lincolns great paper
read, and what they ought TO do" and tell her how
the poor Yankee prisoners" before the dogs
" like u.s. and they could not them-starved. and
they could not feed tbemdied and they could sec
them.
Remember mothers that the plying tear Of the old.
time slave. whom your sou helped to freedom, is the
only tear that falls upon his distant grave to day.
have endeayOred to point out TO you faithfully
able the various objects Of interest painful or
otherwise which presented themselves 10 my observa-
tion during the occupied in the work Of the expe-