The New York herald., 1875-09-26
OUR HEROES GRAVES.

COMPLETION OF THE PLACING OF THE HEAD
STONES IN CYPRESS HILLS CEMETERY.
The work of setting headstones at the graves of the
known and unknown soldiers and sailors who are in
TERED at Cypress Hills Cemetery Long Island, was
competed yesterday afternoon. This is the only
cemetery in the vicinity of New York of which portion
is apart for the ntermen of those who fell in the
late war; according to the Congressional act Of Febru
airy 81 1867 The known dead to the number of 1927,
have each neat marble headstone engraved with the
and the regiment of the deceased soldier These
stones in all soldiers cemeteries above the latitude
of Washington are three and half feet IN height of
which foot appears above the surface of the ground
The graves of the unknown dead, 1fty-seven in
ber marked with marble blocks four inches square
and four inches above the surface of the ground the
number of the grave being engraved the top of the
block for the purpose OF future possible Identification
is six acres in extent and cost the about
$4,000. There about 600 Confederate
dead whose remains rest here, but they
are unmarked, as no appropriation exists
for that purpose. They died on government
transports, in this city while route for Elmira
The Union dead disposed in concentrc sections Of
circles save few in the northeastern portion OF the
cemetery, whose graves arranged in right lines.
The position chosen is gentle slope, with good
rangements for drainage, and tho ground is to be
seeded down and will be covered with grass whose
luxuriance will be kept down by moving. The major
y of the dead are from New York regiments, although
nearly all of the States are represented
THE NAMES OF THE FALLEN HEROES
engraved upon the headstones by the sand-blast
process for If the lettering had been done by hand tho
mechanical labor would have cost than the
and engraving together have done by the method
adopted. In addition to the nterments made during
the some 200 honoraby discharged men, mostly
members of the Grand Army of the Republic, whicn
took upon itself the of their obseQuies have been
buried here in the succeeding years The headstones
were quarred shaped and engraved at West Rutland,
VT and have been brought here and placed in position
in the best condition Nearly $50 OF the bodies here
were brought from Portsmouth Grove. X, l., and I50
were conveyed from Hart's Island
OTHER CEMETERIES.
There nearly 100 cemeteries in the United States
where the bodies of the soldiers in the late war are
grouped together In Of them no other dead are
buried and in the largest of these latter there are nearly
10 900 graves In each of them as at Cypress Hills,
there lodge erected the expense of the govern
ment for tho dwelling place Of the superintendent OF
the grounds The inspector OF the work performed by
the is perfectly satisfied with the quality of
the furnished and the in which the labor
has been performed. There is incident which is
noteworthy, and should he recorded evidence that
some contractors have hearts. In Cypress Hills Gene
terry repose among the bodies of the men who gave
their lives for their country the mortal remains OF three
ladies' no less heroic, who died while acting as
NURSES
in our hospitals There existed no Appropriation for
providing the graves of these gallant with
headstones and the contractors did at their own eX-
pense what the government neglected to do The
friends and relatives of the deceased may be assured
that the work has been systematically finished,
the remains of the gallant men who lie here will receive
every possible future and protection The govern
ment inspector who has had the supervision of the
labor mentions very favoraby the Jealous efforts Of Mr.
j. b. Smith, the agent OF the contractors.