The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-28
BRAVE MEN OF BUENA VISTA.
Their Burial Ground Is ShamefulIy
Neglected.

Saltillo Letter in ST. Louis Globe Democrat
The hardy young Americans who left their
comfortable homes in the United States
more than half century ago and came to
Mexico with General Taylor to fight against
the people of this country probably did not
think that should they fall in battle their
bones would be left to cruAble to dust in
an unmarked spot in this distant land. But
to-day the dead heroes of the Buena Vista
battlefield, where six thousand American
volunteers under General Zach Taylor whip
ped twenty thousand MexicanS under Santa
Ana after a desperate and bloody battle
lie under but a few feet of earth in a
neglected place just outside this city. At
the time OF their hasty burial their devoted
comrades evidently sought to make the spot
somewhat sacred by constructing an adobe
wall around it. This wall is fast succum-
bling to the ravages of time, and In places
it is completely gone. l visited the burial
ground of the dead heroes to-day A tram
car took me as far as the pretty San Fran
cisco Plaza and from there l walked
through dirty, narrow street until came
to an arroyo on the other side of which
the faint marks Indicating the cemetery
may be seen. Had l not received careful
directions would have passed the place
unnoticcd On the side toward the city the
wall is entirely gone for the most part, and
much travelled wagon road passes through
the place and over the sacred dead. The
place which had once been inclosed by the
adobe wall embraces probably two acres,
but investigation shows that many were
buried west Of the wall and up close to the
arroyo.
Some time ago the report was published
in the press of the United States that the
bones of the buried soldiers were protruding
from the ground, and that the place pre-
scented a Sckening Spectacles This report
was not strictly true, but it is undoubtedly
a fact that parts of many Of the skeletons
have come to the surface. The ground is
StreWn with fragments of bones, and II is
evident that they come from the men who
were buried there. None of these bones is
large as the heavy traffic through the place
has broken them up into small pieces. If
any skulls came to the surface they were
no doubt quickly taken by the Mexican chill
playthngS or. Had they ever appeared they
on the surface long. In the arroyo, through
which floods of water pass at times and
wash one side of the burial ground, there
are also many pieces of bones among the
rocks and among them / saw an unbroken
rib bone which looked like that of a human.
There is not a spear of grass nor sign
of vegetable life within the inciosure. 1t is
perfectly barren. The place should certain
ly receive attention at the hands of the
United States Congress, even If nothing
more is done than to take such steps as Will
stay the raVages of time and weather on
the treac herous soil and permit the bodies
lying there to rest undisturbed. 1t could
easily be made attractive and even
beautiful place by laying ii out in walks
and planting trees and plants. The ravages
of the foods in the arroyo on the soil of the
cemetery could be checked by the building
of a substantial wall along that SIDE. In ed
dition to the several hundred who were
killed in battle all of the soldiers who died
in the hospital here were also buried there.