Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-04-27
Letter from Earl Harris.


a railroad journey of over thousand
miles becomes tiresome, whether you
are seated in the finest Pullman sur
rounded with every possible luxury, or
making the trip on the lee side of a
box car. The variations in topography,
flying swiftly through towns and
hamlets, the long freight trains putting
slowly, heavily along the side tracks,
while the express trains wh,zzes past,
all are insufficient to freak the newt
able monotony. Suffice to say l am
here.
This morning spent several hours
visiting the final resting place of six
teen thousand five hundred and thirty
six men, who were among the thou
sands who gave their lives, that the
motto "a government OF the people,
by the people and for the people"
might be upheld. The cemetery is
located on rising piece of ground
overlooking the canal, about mile
land half north of the city. After a
drive along gravel road, kept in re-
pair by the government, one reaches
the cemetery entrance A huge stone
arch across the top of which is chiseled
the words "National military cemetery,
Vlcksburg, A. d. 1865. Immediately
after passing the portals of this
solemn place, one observes several
monuments or rather fountains of a
most curious nature. They are made
by plugging the end of confederate
cannon, with federal cannon ball
These cannons are upended, and
through small hole which has been
drilled through the ball, cool refresh
} ling water spurts to hight of three or
four feet. The graves are arranged
on terraced ground, that is, several
\ Ihundren graves, then terrace and so
on. AT the head of each grave is Q
stone, upon which is chiseled the words
"Unknown, number -" In the
cemetery are twelve thousand nine
hundred and ffty-seven unkno" 'n
dead, and three thousand six hundred
and twenty known.
1t would battle the pen of the most
! clever writer that ever lived to put on
paper description of this magnificent
floral monument which the govern.
/ ment has reared to the memory of
those who sustained it in time of need
l will not attempt description of the
cemetery.
In the soil which they helped to
make free, these heroes are now Sleep
ing. They died for liberty, they died
for you, they died for me. They died,
that the chains binding almost four
million human being might be broken.
They died because all sacred relations
of wife, mother, father, child were
trampled under the feet of brutal
I might.
Let curtain be drawn from your
memory, and now you will see the
work accomplished by the wonderful
wand of freedom. The auction block
is pointed out and exhibited as a
= curiosity; the former slave owner
now uses his slave pens for a chicken
e lot; the whipping post has been chop
1t ped into stove wood. In the midst of
10 battle, in the roar of deadly conflict,
these men found the serenity of death
and protected by the stars and stripes,
the flag their blood cleansed and made
y stainless, these men are now on their
9. eternel camping ground, and glory
guards the silent camp of the dead No
II more are their midnight slumbers
10 troubled BY the rumor of an advancing
foe; no troubled thoughts at mid
night haunts of the loved ones left be-
hind to care and provide for them.
selves.
History tells us how these gallant
men stood in ravines running red with
blood, in burrows of old fields, pierced
4, bv balls, but, no more will the trum.
pets blare sound retreat for the sleep
- Ing martyrs; no more will the shrill
90 fife or the muftied drum urge them on
= to victory. But, with whom were these
men struggling? Men, just as gallant
and brave as they, as firmly convinced
4 they were right, and as sure of victory
he Both sides, the federal and conferate
;, were sons of pioneers, who, three
N centuries ago. left their homes in
Europe and came to this land, here tc
= find freedom, of action, speech, and te
j worship God, as they saw fit.
These men had resisted, yea, defed
Europe, but now it appeared that the
teaching of the early Puritsns were
false. God Almighty led them to a
"a wilderness and there he protected
them, but now, q people which were
10 now increased from few score tc
about thirty million of the most en-
. lightened and progressive beings that
ever lived. But now the children of 6
I people who had mingled their blood on
J.. fields of battle that the banner of free
le dom might continue to wave, were
about to indulge in the hideous work
of mutual destruction, q monster {
Thousand times worse than the Frank.
7. enstein was abroad in the land. plant.