The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1904-02-11
sATTLEFIELps ARE NOW PARKS
Scenes of Civil War strife Made
Places Of Beauty.

practically finished. though the states
are stIll engaged In erecting mohu-
mcnts 10 mark the places where their
own regiments fought and bled. Hun
dreds Of such substantial memorials
have been put up at Antietam alone.
many OF them OF striking beauty. and
moro than 100000 has been cxpend-
ed for the same purpose at Chicka-
maugA. where Georgia. Tennessee.
Missouri and Maryland have each
upilfted cenotaphs In honor of both
sides in the struggle.
The work Of the government In Gre
ating these parks has consisted In
buying the lands. as far as practlca-
Bile, building roads and observation
towers. preparing historical tablets
(of which about 1000 have been
placed at Chickamausa alone 20 mark
positions Of troops) and erecting mon
umcnts TO tho regulars engaged. IL
has been the chief aim 10 restore the
battlehelds and give TO them as near
~ as possible the appearance they
had when the battles were fought Al
ChIckamauga more than 900 cannon
have been placed IN the positions oc-
cupied by the Union and Confederate
batteries. the original guns secured
and mounted on carriages exactly Ike
tn0se which belonged TO them forty
years ago.
The idea OF national battlefield
parks originated in the brain OF Gen.
n. v. Boynton. whose proposition TO
establish such a memorial at Chicka-
mauga was adopted by congress In
1890. ChIckamauga was the srst Of
these parks. that of Gettysburg hav'
ing been up 20 that date a private
enterprise under the management OF
an association representing various
states which had had troops engaged
In the fight. But Gettysburg vas TAX
en- by the government INTO its oWn
hands. and afterward the Acids OF
Shiloh and vIcksburg were similarly
marked out and get aside as historic
and sacred ground.
The Gettysburg park Is more prop
erly called by that name than any Of
the others. On the field the visitor
cannot drive anywhere he likes. as at
ChickamsSga. most OF the area being
covered BY farms, with strongly
fenced roads. SO valuable is the land
that Il cannot be bought at a moder-
ate price. and the states have con-
tented themselves with purchasing
avenues 100 feet or 80 In width along
the lines Of the battle, at the sides
of which monuments are erected and
tablets set up. Many Of the mona.
ments are very beautiful and costly.
But the SOutherners have not taken
much part or interest In the Gettys-
burg park. The government owns
about /, 200 acres there.
In the vicksburg park Uncle Sam
owns 800 acres. II Is the newest OF
the battlefield parks. and the only one
in which any considerable amount Of
work remains 10 be done by the gov
crnment. The states have Just begun
q put up monuments there. and Illi-
nols. which had the greatest number
o, regiments engaged in that siege,
recently appropriated s35O.OOO for the
purpose. The field is on the bluff 100
feet above the river. touching the lat
ter both above and below the city,
aad its most striking feature topo-
graphically is the ridge on which the
Confederate works and batteries were
situated. Deep ravlnes and spurs Of
ridges running out from the hills
make the ground exceedingly rugged.
Some Of the caves which the rebels"
dug for their own eoncealment stlll
remain and will be carefully pre-
served.
The Antletam battlefield, which Is
now finished, 90 far as government
work Is concerned, is all owned by In.
diViduais. only the roads being open.
Its area Is sently rolling country, rich
farming land. with a few deep ra.
vines. and is easily taken in by
a glance OF the eye. Through Il run
the ancient Hagerstown turnpike and
sharpsburg road. along which have
been put up tablets that indicate the
movements OF troops. The govern
ment owns the roads. All the states
that were represented by troops IN the
great hght are erecting monuments.
and only the other day Ohio dedicated
ten new ones.
The battlefield Of shiloh Is more
heavily wooded than any Of the other
parks Situated about 100 feet above
the Tennessee river. which runs along
Rs border. II Is a rolling country.
E'.h farm cleariags here and there.
Tle government owns thirty miles oi
iine roads that run through Il In vaFi.
GUS directions. as well as 3.OO0 acres
Of rs territory. Many states nre at
present engaged IN putting mp monu-
ments on this feld-particnlnrly Indi.
ana. Ohio. Illinois and Pennsylvania
u should have been mentioned that
uncle Sam furnishes the foundations
for ths state monuments in the vnri-
Gus parks
The largest sum Of money ft1 .s0o.-
o00) has been spent by the g0vern-
menl IN the great PARK cf Chickaman'
81 and Chnttauooga, which actually
compripea 10 fewer than 6esen battle
fields shoze Of ChtckamanRa. Wnu
lhatchle. Lookout AIounlain. Orchard
Knob Missionary Ridge. Tunnel HIll
( and R|neEold hxfraorainarg pains
have been taken b ressore lhln AREA
n khe ten1Il|On ~ MhInh Il W6s ~
! ,hs limo Il IA AehllnH Hoada opened
H|te1 AhNK 2tla hAfN t1en floeed.
sN1 ~ '&il|s loA11 hnFe t<en orea61
snS ,rnfplea TNte's which .|ato