Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-05-16

| baptized and sanctifed cur soil. Nay rather
| let US cherish this veneration with fond devo-
| ton that knows no bounds And until the time
! shall come when they shall be recognized as
heroes and patriots by all men, be it Our duty
and our pleasure to return to this spot with each
returning spring-tme, bearing with US a sacred
| Oblation, floral tribute, to wreath and decor
ate the mounds above their heads.
| have said that this cemetery is the work of
| the ladies' If mistake not, they originated
the idea; they secured the ground and had it
enclosed; they raised the money to remove the
| bodies from their former rude graves, and they
have done all that has been done in arranging
and ornamenting this spot First and foremost
IN every good work. they are worthy of all
praise In my heart of hearts, honor them
for the zeal, the energy aud the per>istency
which they have disp. aged. But we mutt not
permit them to toll alone. We are under OBJ
legations to give them aid and support. Ionder
is contribution box. Let no one leave the
grounds, without giving something to make this
beautiful resting place for the sleepers that are
in It, hope to see here yet grove of waving
trees, prOmenadeS arranged with the highest ar
tistic skill, and solid marble monument of
spotess white, typical, at once, of the purity Of
the sex whose devotion shall lead to its erection
and of the manly fortitude of those whose vir-
tues it is intended to commemorate
Ladies, go on in your noble undertaking, and
the smiles of Heaven be upon you. May you
have constantly incrs aSing success, and live to
see the realization Of far more than your fond
est dreams have anticipated. Your work is one
that commends itself to every pure minded be-
ing. In the end, you can but succeed.
Permit me to say in conclusion, that you
are doing nothing moro than you owe to
your sisters in other States. These silent ones are
their sons. Imagination wanders. The scene
of to- day suggest scenes long gone by. Before
me are mothers, wives, sweethearts Such as
you are. these heroic men had But when the
horrible front of war appeared, they severed all
the delightful associations of home life, and went
forth to the camp and the battle field. The wife
followed her husband to the gate, held up one by
one the little ones into his arms, and then, lean
ing her head on his breast, fingered long look
ing into his face. The mother fnlded her son to
her heart as he stood in the doorway, printed her
atfeCtonate kiss on his frehead, slipped her
own well-marked Bible into his side pocket,
and went away to her closet to pray for his safe
ty. The sweetheart spoke cheerfully of the flu
ture-thOugh the tear in her eye told different
story-and she promised that when the war
was over she would wed her soldier love. But
the son, the husband, the sweetheart returned
not again. On plains that were streaming with
blood they fell to rise no more. Some of them
are here. Remember as you strew the flowers
over them to-day, that in coming years, and in
distant lands, some one will have to honor in
like manner dear friends of yours.
At the conclusion of the address, Rev. Mr.
Park made few remarks appropriate TO the &C
caSlOn, paying 1Jtlug tribute 10 the ladies
for their efforts in collectngthe remains of those
who fell in the service of the Confederacy and
giving them fit seput ure He announced that
forty-twO bodies would arrive from Greenevile
last night and that thirty-seven yet remained /;
there were twelve soldiers buried at ROgersvile
and numbers in different parts of Fact Tennes-
sec, all Of 'TiIOuit lHseadod 10 BRING TO this
place for interment.
DECORATING THE GRAVES.
Prayer was then offered by Rev. J. L. Lloyd,
who fervently implored the blessing of Heaven
upon those who had met to honor the dead. A
funeral dirge was then played by the Band.
during which the graves were decorated by the
ladies and little girls, assisted by the committee
of gentlemen. Not grave was overlooked,
and when the labor of love was accomplished,
the large crowd dispersed and wendell their
way to their several homes.
THE GROUNDS
have been greatly improved recently, large
mound with q cross erected in the center of the
grounds, with carriage drives radiating to the
outer circumference, which is also graded for
drive, while every part of the grounds
cessble by convenient walks. Portions of the
borders Of the walks have been sodded and
flower beds prepared, which by next season will
be planted and add much to the beauty Of the
streets of this "city Of the dead"