The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-25

advice. Conspicuous among these ac-
tive friends were the late Mr.. Geo. w.
Mordecai, Mr.. P. f. Pescud, Maj.
Hustled, Maj. B. c. Manly and Mr..
Chas. B. Root, who still survives, use
full citizen and a friend to every good
work. Capt. G. NJ. Whiting as the
representative of the young men OF Raj
eigh offered their services Ito assist in
caring for our fallen defenders. Capt.
Whiting has long since passed away
he is at rest in the Confederate Gene
terry, and verse from one of his poems
| is engraved on face Of the Confeder-
ate monument which stands in the north
east corner of the cemetery.
On June 10th, 1866 constitution,
prepared by Mrs. H. w. Miller, Mrs.
Annie Busbee and Mrs. Mary Lacy was
read and adopted.
At meeting held on the 25th of the
same month the Presidents Council was
appointed: Mr.. G. w. Mordecai Maj
Hustled, Mr.. p. F. Pescud, Mr.. VIM
Grimes, Maj. B. C. Manly, Gen. W. r.
Cox
During the following months much was
accomplished by the association, money
was raised in every way, by gifts, by the
work of the members, who had organized
a sewing society, with Mrs. H. T. Smith
as president, and finally by bazaar held
| just before Christmas, 1866, at which
nearly 81 200 was realized
Fourteenth of February, 1867 an APP
preparation of $500 was made by the
Legislature for a monument to the Con-
| federate dead
Meantime the committee appointed to
| choose a site for the cemetery has been
| untiring in it's labors, and after inspect
| ing many locations it had advised the L..
! NJ. A. to content itself for the present
with putting in good order the cemetery
near the rock quarry at the west side of
the city, where there were AL graves.
They were advised to mark the graves
and to plant a hedge around the spot,
! thus making a distinct division between
| the Confederate dead who lay there and
the Federal dead whom the United States
| government had resolved to move to that
| place from other parts of the State. But
! before any work of Importance could be
done the president of the l.. NJ. A. was no.
| tilted by the United States authorities
that Confederate soldiers buried at the
rock quarry must be removed Immediate
| ly to make room for the Federal dead. =
| Some of the members of the l.. NJ A. re-
member that this order was accompanied
! by the threat that unless the removal
was promptly done the bodies of the Con-
! federate dead would be taken from their
! graves and thrown into the public road.
| Arrangements were made to effect this
removal as quickly as possible. The
lot given by Mr.. Henry Mordecai was
accepted and during the early spring
weeks of 1867 about 500 dead were ia
ken from the rock quarry cemetery and
| reinterred in the present Confederate
Cemetery. This work was done almost
entirely by the young men of Raleigh,
with whom it was a labor of love, and
each day a certain number of ladies were
| present at the Confederate Cemetery to
remove the collins as they were brought
from the rock quarry, and to keep a watch
over them until a sufficient number be-
ing on the ground the work of renter
ment would begin. The writer remembers
one coffin in particular which was a little
strained at the Jennings of the wood, al
lowing a long, half-curled lock of fair
hair to escape which hung down as the
coffin was lifted from the wagon. The
! task was often a trying one to the young
| men, and lady seeing them nearly ov-
ercome by it begged cask of beer and
walked by the wagon the whole distance
from one cemetery to the other giving it
TO them as she saw they needed it.
| The president in her first annual re-
port read at the meeting of the l.. NJ. A.
on May Sd, 1867 writes: THE spot of
ground literally donated to the associa-
! ton as cemetery for the Confederate
dead, you are aware. had to be put in
proper condition by clearing it of trees
and stumps before it could be used for
the purpose designated, which required
quite a heavy expenditure of means
that having been accomplished and the
| grounds properly enclosed, the work of
disinterring and reinterring the bodies
was commenced. Un very many in
stances additional collins were required
at cost of $1.50 or more apiece to the
| association.) This work was faithfully
and energetically performed aided by
| the young gentlemen of our city, who
| deserve the thanks of the ladies of the
| association for the zeal manifested in
this labor of love.
''Ther are 53S of our fallen heroes now
resting in that sacred spot. OF that num-
Der 312 are North Carolinians, As from
| South Carolina, A Georgians, Alabam-
ians s Mississippians, 4 Virginians, 2
| Floridians, Tennesseeans, 1 Texan, 1
Louisianian, 1 Arkansian, of the Con-
| federate States Navy and 100 unknown
| dead. The cemetery is divided into sec
| lions, and each State has allotted to it
! a certain portion. Headboards have al
ready been placed to quite a number of
| the graves on which are inscribed the
name of the soldier, the State from which
| he fri reference
/ has been numbered"
At this meeting it was decided that the
10th OF May, being the anniversary of the
death of Stonewall Jackson, should be OBJ
served as Memorial Day, and that the ex-
ercises should be public so far as to
meet in the capitol square or in the CAPT.
tol and proceed from thence to the GEM
etery." The original minutes of the l. M.
A. which have been closely followed so
| far contain no details Of the observance