Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-06-10

salute at one o'clock BY Col Duponts bat
terry. Thereupon Maj. Luhey, A. A. G..
chairman of the committee of arrange.
ments, called the assembly to order and
introduced Gen. Samuel A. Duncan, Grand
Commander of the Department of the Pc.
tomac, as President of the day. Gen.
Duncan appeared and spoke briefly and
well. Then followed music by the Marine
Band and prayer by Rev. DR.. Newman.
Then there was singing by the Washing
ton Sengerbund and Arion Club and by
the Beethoven Club, reading the order,
&C., after which the poem "Our Martyrs"
written and delivered by Mr.: Francis De
Haes Janvier, and the Grafton by Col.
Samuel S. Fisher. The poem was fine,
and it was read exceedingly we'll by its
author. OF the grafton it is not too much
to say that it was very meriterious pro-
duction. 1t was neither too long nor too
short 1t seemed to be just right, and
! exactly suited to the occasion. Col. Fisher
said much-very much, in the short space
OF time he occupied, and it was evident
that many were disappointed in his abili-
ties as an orator. His address was rich
in thought, eloquent, touching and beau
tiful.
The exercises on the stage were conclud-
ed by singing, after which the vast con-
course formed in procession and proceed
ed to the tomb of the unknown dead,
where lie buried, as we learn from an in
scription upon it, the bones of two thou
sand one hundred and eleven unknown
soldiers, gathered after the war from the
fields of Bull Run and the route to the
Rappahannock. The tomb itself Is of
granite, and is surrounded with four rifIed
field pieces, one at each corner, and a
stack of cannon balls. On this occasion
1t was most tastefully decorated with
heavy masses and wreaths of evergreens
and flowers, and over it was erected a
temple of national and battle flags ana
evergreens arranged with striking taste.
and presenting very fine appearance
Around this tomb gathered in order the
orphans of the soldiers and sailors, Pres
ident Grant and members of his cabinet,
officers of the army and navy and other
persons-the orphans form
ing close to the tomb-and the exercises
began with the rendition of Beethoven's
Dead March, by Heads Band After
this, prayer was offered by Rev. DR.. J. Y. +,
Butler, and requeium was sung by the t
Beethoven Club The orphans then sung 1
Shall we know each other there ?"-after ;
which the procession reformed and passed I
nto the national cemetery and the deco
alton OF the graves commenced. The ,
Marine Band and Heads Band, sta
Toned In different sections of the ceme- :
cry, played dirges while the graves were !.
ENG strewn with flowers; The cere- !,
lonles IN the cemetery were concluded
bout four o'clock. There were many in =
eresting incidents connected with the =
ay which would give had I the time to
rite, and you the space to print them. D
ut to me the exercises at the Tomb of -
lie Unknown Dead, in which the orphare ~
Ike so prominent part, where the most \,
.terestlnSi and the most touching of all.
Carriages and omnibusses were run for
lie purpose OF conveying passengers from -
georgetown to the grounds and back, but
ere was much confusion and irregular -
Y among them, and their means of con- m
vance, from which so much was expect -
, proved very inadequate to the wants -
the public after all. The police regu- ~
ions at the gate at Arlington, particu- D,
'ly, touching the arrival and departure -,
carriages were rather incomplete and -
satisfactory, but perhaps they were the =,
st to be had, under the circumstances.
lese who :" took passage on foot were
nerally the first to arrive at the place of
and were the least fatigued
the least sweltered " with the heat
/ dust. '''i
Decoration Day was also observed on
turday at the cemetery at Alexandria, -;
ere the remains OF about 5000 soldiers O..
buried There are about 16, 1000 graves -;
the Arlington cemetery, exclusive of A.,
tomb of the unkno wn dead. Sunday
5 designated for Decoration services
the military cemeteries at Soldiers W
me, some three miles north of the city, :,
at Fort Stevens, about six miles north.
~ OFT - "'7 '>,'",l'' anu for
letery In Georgetown.
services at Soldiers Home cemetery
re opened at half past two o'clock, with %
yer by Rev. DR.. Newman, and an adj '''',
=. the
Iiers from the Asylum filed down the
n passage, bearing in their hands -.
aths which they placed upon the head
les as they passed At the close of the :, 49,
ress, the assemblage carried their flow
and placed them upon the graves.
proceedings were shortened by a :.
W shower, which came up about :"
: ,,11- r, hun
81. ;, Milf
~ .i ~ = ;, = we A'"u eS- 3S G
superintendent is Patrick Gallaghan y
officer who had charge OF the escort MOO,
'''nS VI Aorinahi butt
colin to Illinois,, and from him / 49,
ned that the number Of graves in it at -
ent is 5,613.
rom the services at the Soldiers Home ST
proceeded, after the show the {
o Fort Stevens cemetery, but owing so hi
he rain the ceremonies here were de- whel
ID. This cemetery is situated about ton
a mile beyond Fort Stevens, and =.
nands view of the ground where
battle took place between column of ;,
men, one thousand strong, and the
IS OF the rebel General Early | think =.
number OF graves here is forty. Here
q ~ az y 7 I, -