The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-31
GEN. GREENE'S BODY
NEW SEARCH FOR ITS RESTING
PLACE WILL BE MADE.
WILL BEGIN IN FEBRUARY.
RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY OF THE
CINCINNATI TO BEAR EXPENSE.

Nen. Greene Was the First President
of the Society in That State and
IL Has Now Appointed n Committee
and Provided Funds to Search for
His Last Resting PIace-COI. Asa
Bird Gardiner Chairman of the
Committee-FOur Vaults in south
eastern Portion of Colonial Park
to BE Examined First.
Another effort is to be made TO locate
and recover the remains of Gen. Ma
thaniel Greene. said to have been buried
in what is now Colonial Park, once the
city cemetery.
1t will not be the first time that such
an effort has been made, for since 1890
those who have felt the stain that rests
upon the country so long as the remains
of this gallant friend of Washington and
heroic defender of his country are per-
mitted to occupy an unknown grave, have
made spasmodic efforts to learn in what
part of the cemetery they are buried
This for the purpose of removing them
to some other and more fitting place
above which a monument attesting Gen.
Greene's services could be erected.
The Society of the Cincinnati in the
state of Rhode Island has recently made
an appropriation to cover the expense of
making a search in the old cemetery, now
Colonial Park, for the location of the re-
mains of Gen. Greene, who was the first
president of the society in that state.
Tradition asserts that the body of this
distinguished patriot was first placed in
one of the four vaults situated in the
southeastern corner of the cemetery, but
the final disposition of the body is the
subject of many conflicting traditions,
some romantic and improbable, others pro-
sale and certainly possible. If consent
can be had that those four vaults be
opened and their contents examined, the
work will be done in the early part of
February under the supervision of a COM
mittee appointed by the Rhode Island so
ciety, consisting of the following gentle
men, all of whom have consented to serve:
Hon. Asa Bird Gardiner, president Rhode
Island Society of the Cincinnati; Mr.. p:
d. Dafin, chairman of the Park and Tree
Commission; Hon. William Harden and
Alfred d. Harden, representing the Geor-
gia Historical Society.
Col. Gardiner will be in Savannah next
week for the purpose of organizing the
committee and beginning the necessary
Investigations, with the consent and aid
of the proper authorities.
When Col. Gardiner reaches Savannah
it is probable that he viii get the COM
mittee together at once and the investi-
cations will begin as soon as possible.
1t is desired that the citizens of Sa-
Vannah who are in possession of any
facts bearing on the subject, or even of
any respectable traditions, will commun-
icate with the committee, and in this
manner assist its efforts.
The absolute lack of any reliable data
as to the location of the grave of so dis
tinguished a man is one of the oddities
of history, and it seems scarcely posi-
BILE to believe that all authentic testi-
mony as to Gen. Greene's last resting
place should so have vanished from
earth. Every excavation of any size or
consequence in that section of the city
results in the discovery of one or more
of the old metallic collins, so rusted
however, that any inscriptions they once
bore have been obliterated, and starts a
new discussion on this subject. Half a
dozen times somebody has reached the
conclusion that he has discovered Gen
Greenes remains, but he has never been
able 90 adduce any proof that would war
rant belief in the alleged discovery.
1t is to be hoped that the search which
the committee headed by Col Gardiner,
will make will result in the discovery of
Gen. Greenets remains. Certainly the
committee will have such assistance as
can be rendered here, in a work which
Savannah feels itself remiss i'm NOT having
completed itself.