The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-10-03
eHGgiDAE's VETERANS
Decorate the Graves OF Both
Federal and Gcnfc6erates.

A large uumbcrof Shcrilan's soldiers
recently visited tire battlc.Gclds in the
Shenandoah, in Virginia While nj
Winchester Mey decorated the graves
Of both the ,cral and the Confederate
dead. An k,witness thus describes
the scene; >
Representatives Of the different rcgi-
mcnls represented in the excursion con
samei an hour or 50 in narratives Of the
part their organizations took in the con-
i'ic, # Sept. 10, 1864, after which the
veterans formed in double ranks and
marched to the national cemetery. AR.
ryIng there the iuclosure was found 10
BE- thfougc1 with tie best people Of the
.ciIy, drawn, no doubt. mainly by Gu
rio.i'y, Lu, ready to give respectful
Sympathy to those who had come 50 far
tpdo honor 10 their dead. We are IA
miiiar enough With the exercises com
mon to the annual decoration Of the
graves Of our dead soldiers, but time
and custom combined have 50 served to
deprive tie ceremonial Of May 80 Of the
clement Of grief o. to render it rather
IN occasion Of pleasant duiy. But here
IL was different, and it j. difficult 70 90
justice to the heartfelt and tender pathos
Of the cSeroses held above the graves Of
the New Hampshire dead by their sur
wing comrades The solemn music Of
the band, AID tie exquisite singing Of
the veterans quartet caused the crowd
10 press closely about the little group
surrounding the monument, and when
melted and moved by the pressing mem.
ores evoked by the day, the place, and
the nawcs of men on the monument
who had been near and dear in the days
ct peru, one veteran after another step
ped forward, and in low, tremulous
tones paid Il tribute, warm from his
heart, to those who lay beneath their
feet, and when finally those stern,
hcardcl men simultaneously knclt
around the monument with unrcstraincd
tcars pouring down their checks, the
magic a human sympathy had over
coHe the Great crowd, and the men
stood barred heads; the women with
moist eyes. Tie solemn and touching
h"gnty Of the scene and that which fol-
lowed made almost every man, woman
and child in Winchester a friend to the
Veterans, u, matter how they may have
ipit hoiora, for when they had arisen
Vol. Carroll almost Immediately an
nounced that having paid tribute of
io;c and respect TO their former com
rai"s, they would now proceed to the
Confederate cemetery and decorate the
monument of foes who had fought them
brlroy and died for the faith that was
in tham. Very few, if any, of the peo-
pie Of Winchester had known Of such
mn intention on the part Of the veterans,
bpt the news seemed to spread through
The 'oNn with electric rdpidity, for hy
the lImc the procession and the large
crowd accompanying it had reached the
gate Of the other cemetery, people were
hnrYing from all the streets leading to
n, and II was n great crowd indeed
that heard u Northern chaplain pray
over the southern dead, saw survivors
OF the Union army strew flowers over
The graves and deck the monuments of
Confederate saldicrs, aud listened to
tho Colonel Ola New Hampshire rcgi
mcnl pray eloquent and touching need
to the memory Of brave men he had
met in battle.