Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-14
ELMIRA'S SILENT CITY.
cRAvEs OF SOUTHERN MEN


Dispatch writes from Elmira as fol-
lows: Woodlawn cemetery, lying just
without the city limits, is spot OF con-
siderable historic interest. Here, on a
gravelly knoll, gently sloping to the
north, rest the remains of 1000 Union
soldiers. Many Of them fell in the
field, but not few died while in camp
here-waiting for orders to move on to
the front, or guarding the rebel prison.
ers. "A little stream, fringcd with will
lows and purling noisily over the pebbly
bed, separates the knoll from level
plat of ground, containing about two
or three acres, and smooth as a lawn.
The surface shows no signs of the re-
mains slumbering beneath. save two or
three moss-grown head-stones. placed
at irregular intervals. Even these mark
no mounds, and but slightly conspire
TO break the monotony of the vclvety
green sward. Underneath this sod
sleep 5000 men who wore the gray.
They ware mostly the victims of the
smallpox epidemic which ragged with
such virulence in the prison in the win
ter Of 1864.
AT the close of the war some were
transposed to southern soil. but most
Of them were left to rest here side by
side with their brothers who fought in
the blue.
Though their graves are unmarked
either by mound or monument, they
are not lost. The sexton can locate
the resting-place Of each man. with his
name and regiment. AT the close of
the war wooden headboards marked
each grave. These in time dccayed.
and no provision was made for re-
storing them. 1t was finally decided
to remove them altogether and
level the ground, thus obliterating
all outward traces of their loca-
ton. Shortly after the war the city
was visited by a number of southern
people. They came to find, if possible,
the fate of missing friends. In few
cases the remains were carried back,
but in most instances the natural beau
ty of the birthplace and the care taken
OF the graves decided them upon leaving
their dead to lie here at rest. Three
or four simple marble headstones scat
tered over the ground show the last
tribute OF wife or mother to a loved
ones memory.
An interesting incident recalled these
facts to my mind on memorial-day.
Local posts Of the &. A. r. were re-
verently decking the graves of dead
comrades. Many anothergrayc through
out the cemetery, by the flowers placed
upon it. showed that the memory of its
occupant was kept green in some heart.
Not few people, as they passed up
the walk by the little brook, skirting
the Confederate graves, noticed with
curious eyes that one of the sleeping
rebels had been remembered. A wreath
of white immortelles and simple bunch
Of yioletS lay beside one of the head.
stones.
1t was placed there, | was told. by
an old negro. While the rebel prison
was in existence John Brown, an eX-
Virginia slave, had charge of the burial
of the dead. Even then Brown was
getting to be an old man. He had come
North over the " Underground rail
road few years before, and settled
in the city. One day. in preparing q
corpse for burial, he noticed n silk UNI
dershirt of a quality entirely too fine
and costly to be in keeping with
his coarser and cheaper outer gar
mentS. Closer investigation revealed a
name embroidered in the neck of the
garment. 1t was the son of his old
master. Many times on the old planta-
ton he had held the boy on his knees
in the colored quarters. The sight OF
tho dead boy touched his heart almost
as if it had been his own flesh and
blood. Carefully. and maybe tear.
fully, he laid the young master at rest,
and as soon as peace was established
wrote the family of their sons fate.
The father and brother had both died
during the war, and the mother was left
alone, nearly pennilcsS. Nevertheless,
she came on and remained several DAYS.
Her means would not permit her taking
the remains back with her, with
the help of her former slave raised a
simple headstone to mark his grave
She again visited Elmira about a year
later, and shortly aiterward passed on
to join her Sons and husband in another
land. The old man has always cared
for the grave, and each recurring me.
morial-day finds upon it some fora
tribute to the memory Of the young
mastah."
One other incident was related to me
by one Of the cemetery custodians. In
the latter part of May, 1868. hand.
some. well-dressed lady. clad in deer
mourning, arrived in the city and regis.
tered at one of the hotels as Mrs
Granger, Richmond. Va. She visited
the cemetery and found the sexton
Her son, her only living relative, had
been IN the Confederate army, and wa.
captured and sent to Elmira. Nothing
further was ever heard of him. anC
she believed that he slept with his
comrades in the cemetery. The
records showed no such name as Johr
Granger among the list of buried, but
there were several written down a:
" Unknown" One of these she wa,
certain was her son. After spending
two or three days about the city she
left for her home again. Each sue
ceeding year found the still Borrowing
mother by the spot where she believed
her son lay sleeping. After the Both o
May was set apart as day of specia
commemoration ofthe dead soldiers, she
chose that as the time for her visit
While the old veterans, with flags fly
ing and bands playing, were marching
! TO the resting-place of their sleepin:
comrades, the little woman in black
might be seen walking slowly back anC
forth over the ground which covered
her countrymen, seemingly obliyiOuS t
all surroundings. But one decoration
day she failed to come. A lady who
had become acquainted with her story
wrote to her Virginia home and received