The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-08
LETTER FROM RICHMOND.
oAKwooD CEMETERY.


A shtrt drive through the snbnrbs of Church
Hill brought ns Ia tho entrance Of Oakwood Gem
etery. Unlike Hollywood. il cannot boast of anv
great degree OF natural beauty, being situated on
ground nearly level. and entirely devoid OF tho
magnificent river scenery. proximity to which
makes Hollywood one OF the finest cemeteries in
the world. By art, as well as hy natnre has Oak
wood thus far been treated very much az STEP
child. The Cemetery was established at tho COM
mcrccment of the war, reclaimed from tho forest:
and although populods city of the dead, there are
hut fow memorials" calculated to elicit atimira.
tion from the visitor Yet it is capable OF being
made worry lovely sr0 having fine back
ground OF forest green, and many handsome trees
scattered through the grounds, which, though
not billy, are rolling, and could be laiI out to
great advantage, and trust the day is not far
distant when it will become what many On aching
heart would wish to nee it, place of besuty, such
az the seed beds of resurrection should ever he.
Oakwood what nane in nlI this Southern land
is more widely known Where is the spot sacred
30 so many? What State, nay. what county, what
village in all the South, from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande, that has not shed tears and sent up
prayers for some dear one who sleeps beneath: its
sod. know of no name that could find so fur dis
tant an echo as Oakwood.
turned TO that PORTION of tho grounds where
our soldiers are laid, with feelings of dread. for
when had last seen 1t, in the spring of 1865, it
was narrowing sight / will not offend the
sensibiliies of the roader by giving detailed do
scripton Of the scenes then witnessed at this
Confederate Golgotha. l. was agrooably surprised
therefore when found that LOVING hands had been
al work in this Garden Of Life"
There lay that mighty army OF the daad-sixteon
thousand strong side by side as they had been on
many bloody field ers tey were malshalled here to
await the ,eceaie from the great Archangels trump.
Each grave loAss trim and ncat-a head-board
placed with the nams company, regiment and
State inscribed upon IT. or, sadder still, with the
one word, UNKNOWN. These head-boards are very
strong. covered with three coats CT paint and, it is
said, will last for fifteen years The placing of
them has been very. .important work. Had this
not been done al record Of the graves would have
been lost When lst saw them III 1865 they
were only marked b. small rough pieces of wood,
with the names, &c.,. indistncty scrawled upon
them. Many Of thesa we're so badly pui into the
ground that they sopn became displaced, aud it was
impossible to know which grave they had belong
! to, and last winter negroes We're found carry
ing off some of these stakes and boards FOR fire.
wood. as
No one who has not ga2ed ON this spot can con-
ceive the feelings Of solemnity and awe which are
produced by the sight of 30 many graves thickly
atudding the undulattng plain like the billova on
| the ocean. T"
Those who have friends in this Cemetery can
never be grateful enough to the ladies OF the 0ak-
wood Memorial Association (the first organized in
Richmond) for their tndefatgable efforts to rescue
from oblivion the names OF those who are laid
here Tho Association was formed April 10, 1885,
since that time, all. to graycs that can be located
(except $50 in private scctionsl have been desig-
mated by head boards. .<such as have mentioned
(about 9OOO), and an accurate register prepared
It is now the earnest desire of the ladies to put up
section boards, so that persons coming from q
distance, to look for the hodies Of their friends,
may be able TO find them without going over the
entire ground to doswhich would occupy at iepst
week. To procure funds Tor this object, they
propose having q feast during the Fair, which is
to take place OH the 18th inst, and hope that all
who can will aid in4this most important matter
South Carolina has 800 dead, whose graves are
located" and largo number among the un.
known, as many died OF small poH whose graves
| were never marked. C--
| There are between 1000 and 1000 OF these I'm
known graves. Tt is the purpose of the Associa'
ton To erect monument to the Unknown Dead ai
| soon as funds for this purpose can be obtaine j
At his time thoir treasury is empty and the Asso
ciation slightly in debt. The means for carrying
on the work thus far have been raised hy the
offorts Of the ladies connected with the Associa
ton. North Carolina appropriated and paid ovel
$1,000. Georgia and South Carolina also have eacf
appropriated the same amount, but the none!
has not vet been received. IL, is the wish OF tht
Association to erect monument to each STATE
represented The whole amount Of funds received
since tho org ,niEation is about s7000-the numbe
oil members about $50. ,-,,,sp
! hpvo been intimately associated for sonnestln
past With several Of the most active members o
this Association, and thus feel great interest il
its fortunes; though nay long connection with tn
hospitals Of Richmond during the war, and my pas
personal acquaintance With many OF the heroe
who sleep at Oakwood, would in itself be quito suf
ficiont to induce me togiTe my sympathies TO tl
praiseworthy efforts OF these noble women t
beautify this Gods Acre" The people OF th
North sing peans, and ralse stately monumental
piles to their dead why shall We not at least erec
some frail memorial" to the memory OF our Owl
Confederate deadp e'Ss'-''--'-' -~->-'- A. ID. Z.
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