Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-06-28
Maryland Correspondence ecoration
Day at Antietam.

| during inc laLe lOur years war.
Your Maryland correspondent spent
the day in the capacity of chaplain,
with hundreds of citizens, old and
young, in decorating the graves of
our soldiers lying quietly in their
dusty beds on the classic field Of An
tietam. Nature has manifested her
profuseness in adjoining this battle
field with every natural beauty, sig
nallY distinguishing it with the most
magnificent scenery in western
Maryland. Antietam Creek, water
course of the size of Grant river, run
ming in southwestern direction,
gives name to the battle field, and
makes It's way, amid hill and vale,
until it empties it's silent waters into
the noble, historic Potomac. A spur
ofSouth Mountain, whose lofty range
extends from Harpers Ferry into
southern Pennsylvania, bounds the
eastern bank of Antietam, while upon
the west lie the fatal grounds where
so many of our brave heroes fell,
flooding the very soil with patriot
blood. The country in this part of
Maryland is very uneven, almost as
much so as some portions of the ex
treme southwestern part of Wiscon-
sin. The National Cemetery here
located. lies on the summit OF a beau
tfinl hill with gradual slope on ev-
cry side, and has been greatly beau
titled and adorned by the hand of
culture and art. Appropriations
have been made by each loyal State
toward making one of natures at
fractions much more attractive. A
costly iron fence extends nearly the
whole length of the cemetery, con-
tanning about 40 acres of ground,
fronting the main turnpike leading
west to the Potomac while
on the other three sides there
is a massive limestone fence made
in the most finished style, giving
the whole neat and chaste appear
ance. An elegant house has been
erected at the main gate, for the &C
commodation Of the superintendent,
where visitors have the privilege of
recording their names and obtaining
any information concerning the GEM
etery and the surrounding country.
1t is impossible to give your read
ers all the proceedings connected
with our late Decoration Day suf-
fee it to say we marched for the
quiet little village of Sharpsburg,
distant half a mile, at II, A. NJ, with
soul stirring music by Maxley's band,
the members Of which are all negroes,
after which the chaplain invoked the
divine blessing on the great con-
course present then Col. f. f. An
derson, hero of the war, and liter
ally covered with scars received in
in his country's defense, delivered a
soul thrilling Grafton, narrating
many Of the tragic incidents associ-
ated with the Antietam battle then
the gate of the cemetery was opened
and the solemn act Of decorating the
graves Of our fallen brothers took
place. Though born and raised in
Ohio, your correspondent started
forth with flowers in hand, not to find
the graves of those from his natl, G
State, but to strew flowers over the
dust Of those from the far off prairies
and groves of Wisconsin for memory
went back to some of the scenes
which transpired in the first days Of
the Rebellion, when our Badger boys
fastened to the places of enlistment
and enrolled themselves as friends
and soldiers of our common country.
Those exciting scenes will never be
forgotten, and those soldiers whose
bodies lie Wondering on the fatal
field, from Wisconsin, were among
the first to enlist to battle for the
right, and were the first to fall, COW
cred with victory and immortality.
Many graves there are in that divis-
ion of the cemetery assigned to Wis
consin dead, but only seven head
boards with names inscribed upon
them stand over those graves to tell
who lie there sleeping. Sad thought!
The eye moistened as we gazed on
the graves at our feet, without 50
much as head board to designate
the names and ages of those beneath
but those unknown and unnamed
ones are cherished by the Great
Father of all, and their deeds live in
the grateful hearts Of loyal people.
The hand Of affection has now and
then adorned some green grave with
a marble slab; but more than Elk
thousand soldiers sleep here, one
half of whom have naught but an
humble board to mark their head,
while the other half of them have
not so much as even that to tell of
the names of those who are buried
beneath. Among the Wisconsin
dead, found the most, if not all,
were Of the Sd Wis. Vol.-noble boys
who died to give liberty to that very
colored band who played solemn
requiem over their graves.
The cemetery has commanding
view of the Shenandoah Valley in
Virginia, some 20 miles distant, with
the long range of North Mountains
extending north and south as far as
the eye can reach while the mean
dering course of the Potomac, only
3 miles away, can be traced for many
miles until it becomes hidden amid
the mountain scenery Of Harpers
Ferry. Burnside's Bridge, ever the
Antietam, lies only one mile to the
south, over which that gallant Gen
eral lead his fearless troops when the
tide seemed to be turning against
freedoms cause, and when. but for
his timely arrival on the field, Lee
might have gained decided victory.
Hundreds of brave fellows persisted in
attempting,to cross this bridge, mown
down like grass before the scythe,
by the enemy's artillery posted on
the northern bank. The headquar-
tiers of both Gen. Mcclellan and Gen.
Lee are still pointed out with inter-
est, while almost every tree and hab-
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