The National tribune., 1895-07-04
KNOWN AND
"UMKN0WN." :"
Incident During the Decoration of Union
Soldiers Graves at AnderSOnVille.
BY W. ". DE HAVEN, MACON, GA.

The orator of the day had ceased speak.
| ing; the last notes Of the band were rever.
| bersting over the hills surrounding Ander
| sonville on May 30, as few old veterans
| of the war for the Union gathered around
| the graves selected, in behalf Of all the
| other soldiers graves in the cemetery, TO
| decorate with flowers. A tiny United States
| flag waved above the beadstOne of each
| grave in the cemetery, making a pretty off
set to the shorn green grass aud well-laid
walks leading in different directions through
| the silent City of the Dead
A few friends-brother and relatives-of
one who lies buried among the known stood
| around his grave, which was surmounted
with beautiful floral cone made of choicest
flowers; few snow-white magnolias turned
their pure faces to the blue sky, and threw
out their fragrance on the morning air, to
be waited like incense over other graves all
around. Oh, comrades! with swelling hearts
we decorate this grave, No. 1881, where lies
all that is mortal of Frederick SchatZman,
who died here in prison, letting this grave
represent all the known dead who died here
in like manner. Peace to his ashesl Ven-
Grafton for his devotion TO loved flag and
country! We drop tear in memory of his
dear old mother, far away in another State,
too feeble in body to be where her heart is
to-day.
Hard by the grave of Comrade schatzman,
a small heldstone projects above the ground.
There are ,085 similar ones III the ceme-
terry, upon which there is no inscription, no
name, whereby the passer-by of future gen.
erations may know whence he came or
what was his regimental service. 1t stands
there in the glowing sun, mute. With
ya,r 1enI Nn f2Elr
representing the unknown dead, and wreathe
this nnmeless stone with choicest flowers.
| We do this, my comrades in the name of the
1,065 brave young lives which were laid on
their country's altar that the Union of our
Fathers might still live.
Perchancs there went out from a New
England home, nesting in the fertile valley
near the foot Of the mountains, sturdy
youth strong of limb and broad of shoulder
the only son and hope of ths household in
days to come; father gone to rest ere the
muttering storms of war had burst forth in
tempest. This boy, so strong, so manly,
with character AZ fixed as the rugged mount
aims surrounding his daily life, was fast
growing into the place which his fathers
death had left, but the call Of country was
to him the call of God, and he went forth to
battle, and to fill a-grave unmarked. For
she who sits in darkness with scared heart
and failing strength, far up in that humble
mountain home, we strew these flowers On
grave No 4S37 to-day.
Or perchance Q manly form strobe with
elastic step from a home on the broad prairies
of the great West. College, books, lfs's
chosen vocation all left behind. proud
gray headed father, warm, sympathetic,
grand woman whom he delighted TO call
mother stood on the lawn tracing the out
lines of the receding form as it passed down
the walk, across the familiar field near the
road and over the swell of ground out of
sight; stood musing long after, thinking of
the day when this same boy came as little
babe fresh from the hand of God to brighten
their young family life; Of the chubby fist
and dimpled cheek; of the sunny youth
with his contagious laugh and rolicking
humor of the strength and vivacity of early
manhood of the man who had just left
them.
Will he come back again and gather to-
gether the chords of the life just broken;
back to the precious ones left behind; back
to the vocations of peace to win name and
fulfill the ambition of loving friends and
reflect credit on the family name in public
service?
Oh, the black pail of horrid war! The
clash of battle, the belching cannon, the
deadly charge, the deadlier minie-bullet
with its whispering zip as it sped its way to
the heart of this brave boy. He falls an
other martyr to our country, prisoner in
death, hurriedly buried by strange hands
he fills a nameless grave!
In that proud home on the broad prairie
the light of life has fled. A solemn hush
fills all the house. One only is left, wreck
on the shores of time, all that is left Of her
who lovingly followed that son with letter
and prayers until letter came back unopened
and prayer died on her lips. For this home
and these shattered lives, and all like them,
we wreathe this stone in memory Of the un-
known dead to-day.
Or perchance husbands and fathers
felt the fires of patriotism too strong
ly to be resisted, and went forth to battle,
leaving weaker hands to wage the unequal
fight for bread for the little ones and educa-
tion for the older children. For her and
for the thousands who sit in widowhood and
shrink within their own dark memories,
nursing their night of woe and poverty, and
will not bo comforted because they know
not where their loved ones are buried, we
bow our heads in veneraton for all that is
best and purest in womanly sacrifice, and
srew 1ur flowers on grave 1887 of the un-
known Union dead
Unknown! Say not unknown to the love
of patriotic men; not unknown to God, who
sends His gentle dew and watts the perfume
of the hills-whispers in gentle cadence
through the piaes, lavishes the wealth of a
Southern sun upon, and spreads velvet
carpet of green above, the dust of the ,065
and the larger number of unmarked graves
OF the Union dead who lie scattered where
they fell all over the battlefields of the war
for the Union, and whose eye is upon the
surviving widow and dependent ones now
shorn of companionship and love. Methiuks
that out of the shadowy realm / hear "a
multitude Of spirit voices gathered on the
plains of immortal youth, saying, Not un-