Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-05

The Outrage az the Decoration Cere
monies at Arlington.

II Correspondence OF the New YORK Herald.
WASHINGTON, May 30.-The &C
ton of a lieutenant and a small
guard of marines at Arlington yes
terday, in preventing people from
throwing flowers on the graves oil
the Confederate dead, is the subject
of much talk here to-day, and the
general sentiment is condemnatory.
1t turns out that the officers of the
Grand Army of the Republic were
not altogether responsible for what
occurred. They merely arranged
to have the marines there so as to
prevent people from making mis-
takes; but mistakes were made on
the wrong side. The marines mis-
understood what they were placed
there for, and thought it was part
of their duty to insult people who
happened to throw flowers on the
graves of the Confederate dead.
The lieutenant in command was
particularly offensive in his manner.
Seeing lady throwing q small DO
| quet ON one of these graves, this
lieutenant rushed to the spot,
picked up the flowers, end, throwing
them on the ground at his feet,
commenced stamping on them in
such manner as to attract about
him a crowd of wondering specta-
tors in very few minutes. Some
of the lookers-on, learning the cause
of the lieutenant's rage, commenced
to murmur disapprobation, when
the lieutenant cried out, On
you, get away from here, every
one of you, or I'll make you.
Guards, come up and dispense this
crowd. The lieutenant accom-
panied these words with angry ges-
lures, and swinging his arms about
as if he intended to pitch generally
into the crowd. His guards an
swered his call but the crowd dis
persed without waiting to be bayo-
melted. An ex Union volunteer,
writing to the Washington Herald,
gives the following account of what
he saw -ira..it tE. .
"While marching with the throng
along the central walk of the Gem
etery, accompanied by several chill
dren whom | had supplied with
flowers, / noticed a small plat in the
grounds to the right of the walk,
just to the north of the little foot |
bridge. We walked on across the
bridge, and having given our trib-
ute to the dead we returned. The
crowd was still at the little plat. |
Four marines and sergeant, as
sisted at intervals by two officers,
were pacing up and down, not on
the walks or between the graves,
but literally across the graves of
some thirty soldiers. Upon exam
nation | found that they were Con
federate dead. Several ladies', evil
IDENTIFY not knowing that they were
Confederates, and with no intention
of exhibiting any special feeling,
quietly placed their offerings upon
the graves. They were at once &C
costed by the guards, who com
PEELED them to take them up. Sew
eral gentlemen were treated in a
like manner. / saw one Union sol
der who was forced to take back |
the Offering he had made to peace
and forgiveness. An ex-Union of
ficer, well known to me, was or
dered to receive back few roses
that he had, without knowledge of |
the forbidden ground, streWn upon
the grave Of one of these soldiers.
AstOnished, mystifed, and disguised,
l asked one of the guards the source
of the orders. He told me that they
came from the superintendent of the
cemetery, whose name l do not
know"
The people demand to know
from whence these orders came,
that the responsibility may be placed
where it should rest. They demand
to know whether a subordinate can
shape thus the policy of a gov
eminent, or whether the head of the
government and the army has sane
toned this act, and thus explains
and interprets his Oracular, ''Let Us
have peace They demand to know
for what purpose were these dead
Confederatss buried there, and how
long they are to remain? Was it
that they should be thus insulted,
and are they to remain there SIS
long as our nation lives to be on
every anniversary literally trodden
under foot by the uniformed repre-
sentatives of the government,
pointed out as an example that we
will wreak vengeance even upon
the bodies of dead enemies =? The
course pursued at Arlington is in
strong contrast with that which
prevailed in Alexandria yesterday.
There all the graves were honored
alike, flowers having been strewn
upon Confederate and Union dead
without distinction. 5 r as
Correspondence Of the New York Times.
WASHINGTON, May 3O.-The only |
events of any importance which
occurred here to-day Sunday we're
the decoration ceremonies of the
soldiers graves at three or four of
the smaller national cemeteries, and
the religious observanees in most
of the churches. The sermons
had more or less reference to
the same subject. Considerable
bitter feeling and animosity ap
pears to have been aroused by the
distinction made between the Union
and the Rebel dead in the solemn
ties Of yesterday and to day. The
unkindness, to give it q gentle
term, finds vent in newspaper COM
munications, church sermons and
general conversation. The mem
bers of the Grand Army of the
Republic, 10 maintaining their side
of the case, and one or two
of the city clergymen, have ex-
pressed themselves in strong
terms in reference to il.
Rev. Mr.. Newman, Chaplain of the
r.. A = F.