The Opelousas courier., 1893-11-25
Confederate Monument in Chi.
CagO.

On October 10, 1893, Gen. John c.
Underwood, of Chicago, carried a mum
Der of comrades and friends to see the
Cemetery. 1t is the only Confederate
monument erected on Northern soil
and ia built in honor of six thousand
Confederate soldiers who died as pris-
oners of war in Camp Douglass, ILL.,
Camp Douglass was situated in the
suburbs of Chicago, between Wabash
Avenue and Lake Michigan, about
where Twenty second street is now.
Our dead we're buried just outside OF
the prison, on the lake front. AS the
city extended it swallowed up the main
prison and densely surrounded their
burial place. Thereupon the city of
Chicago moved our dead about eight
miles, and buried them in the northern
part of Lincoln Park. However, they
were not to rest there long, for the citi-
zens of the northern part of the city
raised protest against their remain
ing there. The government then pur-
chased swampy piece of ground ad-
joining Oakwood Cemetery, about fif-
teen miles from their last interment.
There was. however, strong protest
from the citizens of that locality. Such
was the condition of affairs when Gen.
Underwood went to Chicago several
years since. He, with the assistance Of
other Confederates in Chicago, went to
work and had this low burying ground
filled up, and secured its inclosure in
Oakwoods Cemetary. They then COM
menced the work of securing monu-
ment to perpetuate their memory The
monument has been completed at a cost
of $4,000. 1t is bnilt of Georgia gran
ite, is beautiful in design, conception,
and finish, and will stand the storms of
ages. 1t is forty-fve feet high, and on
the top of it there is a typical Confed-
crate soldier in bronze. The soldier is
represented without arms or accourtre.
ments of war, and with deep sorrow de-
pict on his face lie is looking on the
graves of his dead comrades On the
front of the monument is the inscrip-
ton, Sacred to the memory" etc. On
the left panel is IA court house in the
South, mt the first alarm of war, where
the preacher, the lawyer, the doctor,
the school boy, the carpenter, the farm
er, the artisan, the blacksmith, all hast
ening to join the army in defence of
their State. their homes, and their part
of the country. On the rear panel is
where few Confederate soldiers
charge Federal fort, and one poor
fellow il shot at the muzzle of the guns,
and crawls under the wall of the fort to
die. On the right panel is the soldiers
return home. ragged, footsore, and
limp, with deserted house, the sun
setting in the distance, and the birds
flying away. The scene is weired and
sorrOwful.
There has been paid on said monu-
ment $4,000, and $4,000 is now due.
Of tbs $4,000 paid, $500 was sub
scribed in the North, 1t is the desire
to pay snid $4,000 before the monu-
ment is dedicated, which they hope to
do in April or May next, after the meet
ing of the United Confederate Veter-
ans If every Confederate Camp in
the South will only give $40 it will not
only finish paying for the monument,
bat will enable Gen. Underwood to
beantify the grounds.
Appeal is made to the Camps of the
South to come to the rescue, and there
by pay the monument out of debt and
show ii we'll merited interest in, as
before stated, the only Confederate
on Northern soil. All con
tributions should be sent to Gen John
C. Underwood, Omaha Building, Chi
cago, Ill.-John P. Hickman, 10 Con-
federate Veteran, Nashville, Tenn.