The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-03
SALISBURY PRISON.
A Comrades Memorial Day Visit to the site-The
Cemetery.

Cemetery.
To THE EDITOR:
On leaving my old home in Columbus, Kan,
last winter, for this place, [Statesville, n. C.j
] promised some of my comrades that would
pay a visit to Salisbury and let them know how
the old place looked, and as there are about as
many members of John A. Dix Post, No SO, of
Columbus, Kan, who read THE TRIBUNE as
there are that usually attend the Post meetings,
it occurs to me that | may as well answer them
through THE TRIBUNE
/ started for Salisbury on May 20, and reached
there about 10 o'clock in the evening The
next morning / was up and out early and set
out to find the old prison. ] soon located the
spot where the prison had stood, but nothing
remained to tell the sad story of the tragedy
that had been enacted there. The stockade is
entirely gone, the old buildings have been torn
down and moved away, the ground has been
plowed over, and wheat is now growing there
as if trying to hide the spot. The only relics
that / could find were a few loose bricks left
where the buildings stood, one of which /
brought home with me. All, boys, as ] looked
at that wheat SO gently waving there that
beautiful morning, it was hard indeed TO real
lie that but twenty years ago it was the scene
of so much suffering. But suggestion of it
still remains. short distance off is the ceme-
tery-some six acres of beautiful lawn, inclosed
by a strong wall OF granite-and thefein repose
the remains of IL 1926 Union soldiers, nearly all
of whom died here. As you enter the iron gate
you see neat brick cottage almost covered
with ivy. By the side of the path in front of
the cottage stands q notice inviting you 70
enter the Office and register, which l did.
There | met Air, James Burke, one-armed
ex-soldier who is the superintendent of the
cemetery and with his family occupies the
cottage. found him very kind and obliging
gentleman, and everything about tie place as
clean, neat and pleasant as it was possible to
make It. a the further end OF the cemetery
are eighteen trenches, each 260 feet long, which
are supposed to contain the remains Of IL 700
soldiers. They were never moved, but lie
where they were buried by the Confederates,
and no one knows who or just how many are
buried there, as no record was kept by the
prison authorities. The names of over 5000
who died in the prison have been ascertained
by comparing the notes of prisoners who were
employed as nurses and from other sources
THE MONUMENT.
In the front and center of those trenches stands
beautiful monument about forty feet in
height, Of New Hampshire granite. a laurel
wreath hangs from the top of the obelisk;
about half way down is the legend " Pro
Patria," while near the base are embIems of
the prisoners release, such as broken chains,
&c. The turf in the cemetery is beautiful, and
the superintendent told me it was cut once
course, the white residents take no notice of
Memorial Day, but the colored people came in
from all directions, as if for festival of thanks
giving and rejoicing We were there when
they marched in, and it would be impossible to
describe my feelings as they marched up to the
monument near where we stood, brass band
of colored musicians leading the procession.
As they marched to the cemetery they played
The Suwanee River" but after entering the
grounds and while marching up to the trenches
they played "Annie Laurie" in very quick
time, each one carrying small flag, preceded
by the superintendent. Their music, march
ing aud actions were all so foreign TO my feel
ings at the time that / thought them wholly
unfit to perform the ceremony, But as soon as
the band ceased to play, and they had deco
rated the graves with the flags, they gathered
together under a large tree and sang hymn
and one OF their number offered a prayer, por-
tions OF which / thought were very good. Then
they reformed and marched out again.
We spent the rest of the day at the cemetery
looking over the records and walking about the
grounds l thought then and / have been
thinking ever since that something ought to
be done to change the manner of decorating
the graves of our comrades in the South in
places where the white citizens will have moth
ing TO with it and the colored people do not
know how to perform the ceremony as it should
be observed. | was told that the white citizens
of Salisbury had on former occasions offered to
take part in the ceremonies on Memorial Day,
but that the colored people had acted in such
manner that they had given up the day entirely
to them. 1t seems to me that committees
| might be appointed from Northern Posts to
visit the localities where there are no local
Posts and few old soldiers, for the purpose of
conducting suitable Memorial Day services.
If any Of my old comrades who served with
me in the Sd II. S. NJ cavalry, or 9th NJ. S. M.
cavalry, or 18th Missouri veteran volunteer
cavalry, should see this, would like to hear
from them.-J. NJ. FERGUSON, Statesville, n. G.