Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-11-25
HEROES OF BUENA VISTA.
Their Sadly Neglected Burial Ground
Near SaItillo, Mexico.

Near saItillo, Mexico.
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 crumble to dust in an unmarked spot
in this distant land But today the dead
heroes Of the Buena Vista battlefield lie
under but few feet Of earth in a neg
lected place just outside this city. AT
the time of their hasty burial their de-
voted comrades evidently sought TO
make the spot somewhat sacred by con-
structing an adobe wall around it This
wall is fast succumbing to the rayages
of time, and in places it is completely
gone. l visited the burial ground of the
dead heroes today A tram car took me
as far as the pretty San Francisco plaza,
and from there | walked through a
dirty, narrow street until l came to an
arroyo, on the other side of which the
faint marks indicating the cemetery
may be seen. Had l not received care
full directions l should have passed the
place unnoticed. On the side toward the
city the wall is entirely gone for the
most part, and a 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 lnyes-
tigation shows that many were buried
west of the wall and up close to the ar
royo.
Some time ago the report was pub
lished in the press Of the United States
that the bones Of the buried soldiers
were protruding from the ground, and
that the place presented sickening
spectacle. This report was not strictly
true, but it is undoubtedly fact that
parts of many of the skeletons have
come to the surface. The ground is
strewn with fragments Of bones, and 1t
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 quick
" taken by the Mexican children who
were about and made innocent play
things of. Had they ever appeared they
certainly would not have remained In
tact on the surface long. In the arroyo,
through which foods Of water pass at
times and wash one side Of the burial
ground, there arc also many pieces OF
bones among the rocks, and among
them l saw an unbroken rib bone which
looked like that of human.
There is not a spear Of grass nor
sign of vegetable life within the in
closure 1t is perfectly barren. The
place should certainly receive attention
at the hands of the United States con-
gress, even if nothing more is done than
to take such steps as will stay the raw
ages of time and weather on the treach-
erous soil and permit the bodies lying
there to rest undisturbed. 1t could easl-
" be made an attractive and even beau
tiful place by laying it out III walks
ard planting trees and plants The raw
ages Of the floods in the arroyo on the
soil Of the cemetery could be checked
by the building OF a substantial wall
along that side. In addition to the sew
eral hundred who were killed III battle,
all Of the soldiers who died III the hos
.pital here were also buried there. Mex
lean Letter i'll St. Louis Globe-Democrat.