New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-04
THE GRAVES OF THE DEAD.
MARKS on THEM WILL SOON BE OBJ
LIBERATED

SOLDIERS BURIED IN THE CUBAN HIGHwAY-PEN-
Gil. WRITING on THIN BOARDS ALL THAT
pEsIGNATIs THEIR REsTING-PLAcEs
rrnox A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
Santiago de Cuba. July 23.-The driver of
Army wagon sending his team along the
road from the Guiana River to the line OF the
American Entertainments to-day. He had never
been through there before. Along much OF this
way there was heavy fighting on July and =
AZ he neared the bloody bend" OF the San
1uan River some passing soldiers called out 10
him:
Look out. you're running over grave"
He PULLED his mules TO the right just In time
20 avoid passing over little mound that in the
General unevenness Of the road he had not
recognized as a grave. He nuttered something
ahou, the road being no place in which to bury
, colder and about the dead mans right to
have his grave properly marked.
Whom the corpse was laid there the spot was
49,, :, tho road hut beside II. Later one or two
r.giroents had been set to work cutting down
,oc.us underbrush and trees. as to widen the
,,orouehfare This brought several graves into
{, and the American soldiers are now buried.
- were suicides and Indicators In the olden
,,r,e under the public highway. There is a
,,,,le mound in each case. and some have
r,da railing Of frail sticks. In the pouring
ra,rs these things will soon be washed away,
a,.er - wagons do not obliterate them first, and
.,en there will no longer be any way Of mark
,nr the spots where the soldiers were buried in
on alien land which they had come 10 free
All Of the graves Of those who fell between
FL Poso and the final line Of American intrench-
,ren,s have probably had some sort Of desg
-.
oa~a was taken Fewer pains We're expended on
the privates Some have headhoards on which
their names and regiments are carved hut gem
orally this information is written In pencil on
q niece Of A box stuck in the ground. Usually
there was an effor. at printing at least part OF
the inscription the rest being in a grabbed
scravl that was not easy 10 read when It was
new. Evidently the labor Of love was done by
comrades more skilled with the rife than with
the pencil
Apparently there had been no instructions 10
the men about burying the dead. and it had
been left to the chance orders Of an officer or the
spontaneous act Of some privates. The natural
course would have been the digging Of the
grave and the covering Of the body by comrades
from the same regiment. But those who were
killed along the road east OF the bloody bend
OF the Sar Juan River We're in mos cases on
their way % the firing line. There was no time
for their companions TO bury them then and It
was thought that a detail could be sent back
later when II could be spared from the lighting.
TO attend 10 this.
Usually. perhaps this was done. but not AL
WAYS on July there were number Of bodies
above ground Of men killed the day before The
road was full Of oiterers Some were asked
why they did not dig a hole and put corpse
which had been there twenty-four hours INTO II.
One explained that they were willing. hut could
do nothing without the command OF an officer
lust east of the bloody bend" four men are
buried in one grave One belonged to the 'lst
New-York An almost nlegible scrawl gives
the list OF those who lie there. with their regi-
nents The rain and weather will soon erase
the words other NEWCOMERS are scattered
about their names written only in pencil.
Near where the division hospital stood. close
by the Guiana River. forty or fifty are buried
who died from their wounds An effort was
made b. the surgeons and by the clersymen
who ofTiciated at the funerals 10 keep complete
list Of the corpses. but that was impossible IL
had been planned that each man whose hurt
was dressed at a hrst-aid station or field hos
pital should have a tag attached TO him. giving
his name and the nature Of his wound. But In
the rush OF patients this could not be done Il
first and the injured reached the division nos
initial without cards Some who died were UNI
conscious all the time. and could not give thelr
names; in the large number Of men who had 10
be attended TO al once a few were necessar NY
overlooked by the clerks who kept the records
So there are relatives In the United States VINO
will never know where their soldier dead are
buried.
About FL Caney the conditions were worse.
Here much Of the battle was in the underbrush
man might be killed and remain unseen by
comrade As the lines moved on he might not
be discovered. Several days after July search-
Ing parties were sent out 20 cover the ground
thorcuChlv and they found thirty corpses.
Some rad been hastily buried the day or the
battle but II was too busy time for Inuch
ceremony or anything more than the most
temporary Of headhoards
II ANYTHING j. to be done 70 fix tie identity OF
the American dead, and 10 set UP headpieces
that will last ard he legille for a few years 10
come II should be done quickly. While the
Army is stiN here mer can be found who recall
lust where Il private or thai was killed and
where he was buried. Now il will be easy 70
mark most Of the graves But the task VIII
grow more and moro difficult In the troplca'
climate graves will soon be so overerown with
thick bushes that they cannot be found by one
rot familiar with the exact spot. The slender
headboards will he splashed with mud and
washed away. Heavy downpOurs gathering
into little streams will level the slight heaps
that should be the Nations pride and care II
the United States wishes 10 escape the reproacr
Of ingratitude 70 those who died on dlstaf'
shores in her service she should pay this las'
small mark Of respect and honor at once