Evening journal., 1898-07-25
THE BHuE ANp THE qRlAY.

Fart OF yesterday was spent by the |
Nayrarer and some companions at |
Hort Mott and Finn's Point National |
Cemetery. Securing an English dog
cart, an American horse and a German |
set Of harness from Frank BsIrbank,
OF PeRnsYille, the journey was made
in this cosmopolitan rig without Incl
dent worthy OF note.
Arrived at the cemetery the party
was received by Superintendent Daniel
Whitney. veteran OF nearly four
years constant campaigning ana a
participant In twenty-five Of She bat
tles attending the late Enpleasantness,
and his wife, a most genial parsonage.
The Wayrarer had known both OF them
for about twelve years, but had not
seen them for ten years previous Co the
visit.
Superintendent whitney showed the
party over the cemetery. To a person
who expects to see something like Ar
lington, Antietam, Richmond, Cold
Harbor or the many other large ma
tional cemeteries, with the green
sward studded at close intervals with
white marble monuments OF greater
or lesser proportions, the Testing Is one
Of disappointment. Ts. ,aare only
two monuments in Il Budd, etory. One
marks the resting PA J. d iS5 United
States soldiers, and tdalrher marks
the tiny grave of a two-months'-old
babe, probably the child OF some pre-
vious superintendent. Remove these
monuments and the iron entablatures
warming visitors not 20 commit any
act of deSecration orF spoliation and
the cemetery resembles large, rolling
well-shaded private grounds, carpeted
withclosely-trim edgr-ss, studded here
and there with shrubbery. artIstically
4 planted. the whole slOping away from
a grsystoEe lodge of French style oi
architecture, and surrounded by low
thick wall OF gray stone, pointed with
white mortar Along the wall Ivy has
been planted, and the rare Old plant
viii in time cover the stones and con
vert their harshness into well-roundst
lines OF beautiful green. Then fhe
picture will be complete. There ar'
but two mounds, the rest OF the en-
closure being as smooth as lawn. ON
mound is at the base Of handsom,
Flagstaff. SIXTY feet high, set In cast
iron step embedded in concrete, every
thing but the ornamentation and th'
towering pole being covered with earrl
and sodded. Upon the other mounC
there is a low shaft inscribed as FOL
lows:
''NeaF thts monument ne 15s Unitet
States soldiers whose namss, so IA
as known, are hers inscribed. bur
whose graves cannot be Identified. Thel
died for their country"
On the four sides OF the shaft arr
the names, including the following
Delawareans: Sergeant s. 6. Williams
Corporal g. w. Smith, james SpecS
man, John Henderson, Eeo Durant
- Hughes, R. &. Bradley, G.
Cook, d. d. Bergner. Amos Hill, w.
Smith, Jonathan Scan. J. r. Gillian
q. q. Waplez w. H Flowers, r. II
sinpsou, T. K. Spicer and j. w
sparks Doubtless many of the Oh
itiEeus OF wilmington remember som'
{ thase men, and (perhaps) most c
hem have relatives living IN Dsla
rare
,rvt.,.4. A., o,,,1.,.-,,,.a ,.acr,sa tba 80,
rains Of 1876 Federal soldiers and $50
onfederate prisoners. who died a
ort Delaware in the dark days whel
le North and South were making sucl
huroulean and duncompromising stug
g for supremacy on the American
ntinent. They died of disease, mos
them OF smallpox, sourvy an
sentery, the garrison suffering, wi1
prisoners, the supreme penalty 0
arfare, although not by the the thucl
" the bullet, the thrust or the straigh
aord and bayonet, the slash OF tn
bre or the burst of the shell. Within
extremely circumscribed spher
st the remains Of z645 men who bat
d for what they believed to be rlgh
d who gave their lives to the eaus
their espousal. Because OF the stu
ity or gross negligence OF someone
record OF the identity Of the dead
u epting the few Union solder
ned on the monument above refer
to, is lost. The records were keI
Fort Delaware in single and nc
duplicate form. Fire destroyed thei
pre- transcript was made and th
pie thing is blank covered wit
4 h and grass. Relatives cann'
= k the graves of their heroes b
z pc they cannot tell where their 10.
lie buried. They know that the
within the four walls, but the sp'
not be even approximately to-
4 # whole thing is shrouded in my
III and doubt. You walk over the du
lese men; you know they are ther