The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-06-10

, mark the place where lay the bones OF
the unknown men who engaged in a
struggle of such gigantic proportions as
our civil war was? Men who encountered
such rough experience as characterized
that war and to be remembered only as
heroes Of a lost causei No pillar of polish
ed marble could tell the story of these
soldiers struggles so well. Hence when
the wall was built about their burial
place this great boulder was set up
within it In weight about sixteen tons,
it is imbedded in q depth Of three feet
in the ground and rises to a height of
six feet above it. Whether done design
edly or not, we do not know. but quite
significantly, on the side which faces
deeply chiseled: ''226o Confederate
soldiers Of the war of 1876 in this en-
closure.
Mrs Briggs, wife of a Union soldier
determined to supplement the exercises
in the Federal Cemetery, on Decoration
Day. with like ceremonies in the lonely
and almost forgotten city of the dead
at Camp Chase. Her husband. a Union
soldier, tried to dissuade her, saying that
public sentiment would be against it,
and that he could not afford to be identi-
fed with it because of the odium that
would attach to him. Nevertheless,
gathering all the flowers she could find,
she, with her two daughters, all of them
closely yelled went in closed carriage
to Camp Chase Cemetery. and amid fear
and apprehension, proceeded to strew the
flowers upon the graves of the heroes Of
a lost cause The incident was re-
ported through the newspapers. a Union
major said: 1T is all very well, but it
must not be done on Decoration Day"
: THE VEIIED WOMAN DISCOVERED
Accordingly, on subsequent Decoration
Days a watch was set at Camp Chase,
and the identity of the yelled woman
was discovered. About this tins. in spite
of threats of interference, Mrs. Gay Ide,
nee Casl1ey formerly of Richmond, Va,
joined Mrs. Briggs in her visits to the
cemetery. Hearing of threats of inter-
ference with the plans of these ladies
for Decoration Day, 1895, CAPTAIN w. 3.
Albright a Confederate veteran, appear
ed at the cemetery and gave them pro-
lection. Opposition only bred friends
Captain Albright secured from Mr. Henry
Briggs a copy of the Adjutant-General's
report concerning Camp Chase and began
to make frequent visits to the auditor Of
States office in search Of further data.
The newspapers commented on his &C
tons, chiefly because he withheld his
name And thus was aroused the in
terest of the Union veteran, Colonel w.
II. knauss, Of Mccoy Post, G.. A. r., who
Captain Albright, which resulted in a
visit by the former to Mr.. and Mrs. Henry
Briggs for the purpose of verifying the
newspaper statements.
On his way home Colonel Krauss passed
by Camp Chase Cemetery and observed
that it was oyergrown with weeds, brars
and underbrush. Stopping to survey the
scene more carefully. his thoughts swept
swiftly backward through the vista OF more
than thirty years since those graves were
made, thrilling his soul with visions of
days when his comrades in blue solemnly
laid the mortal remains of men in gray.
one by one, and side by side, in the grow
ing rows of graves now left untenled and
unmarked The thought occurred to him
that the war was over; that the North
and the South were again united under
bones slept there, though unknown, were
not" foreigners, but freemen and soldiers
of the same country, entitled to 1ecogni-
ton as Americans. having passed tie SUI
preme test OF manhood by measuring
swords with their equals in defence Of
principles to which they had dedicated
their lives and fortunes. He then re-
solved 10 make those graves his care. In
1896 he caused TO be erected over the
monument an arch of wood snTmounted
by cross of the same material. ard had
painted on the south face of the apex Of
the arch the word Americans
Each year since, accompanied by kindred
spirits, representatives of both the Blue