Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-09

w IlLlt'H Dy MIS- - T.. CleldnQ.
Our government, with all its multi
piled burdens and cares, surely has not
forgotten its duty to its fallen heroes
in our civil war, though, in common
with other governments, il seems TO
have omitted it in all its previous
wars.
Common burying grounds appear al
ways TO have been kept at various
posts and forts where our troops were
stationed, and those who died thus in
garrison were doubtless well cared
for: but those who fell in battle.
whether in the revolutionary struggle,
or in the second contest with Great
Britain, or in the Mexican or Indian
wars seem to have been hastily inter
red on the spot where they fell. and
that was the last the nation knew or
seemed TO care for them.
The first act to provide a national
cemetery was July Il, 1862; when it
was enacted that the president of
the United States should have power.
whenever in his opinion it became ex-
pCdicnt, to purchase cemetery grounds,
and cause them TO be securely en-
closed. to be used as national Gene
tericS for the soldiers who should
die in the service of the country
But in the absence of any national
action to establish such a cemetery
in the following year, 1863, immedi
atCly after the battle of Gettysburg
Gov. Curtis. of Pennsylvania, took tho
responsibility of purchasing some l.
acres of ground embracing the center
of the line of battle there. and pro
cecded TO disintcr and there rebury the
bodies of all our soldiers who fell in
that memorable struggle. They were
found to belong TO IS states, including
Pennsylvania; and the governors o.
those states were invited To- participate
in the purchase and assist in the fur
Their work Of rcintcrring the slain ano
beautifying the grounds Presiden
Lincoln himself participated in tn,
dedication of this cemetery. Durinl
the five following years this worl
progressed very rapidly and in 1SG.
there were - national cemeteries
The work OF removing the bodies from
the rude trenches of the battlefields
or from their roadside graves, invOlv
cd vast amount of labor.
Often the bodies were carried man.
miles in wagons. over rough roads
and the search i'll tangled swamps anC
obscure mountain passes was ATTENDED
with much difficulty. Every pains were
taken To preserve all memorials OF
identity. from the scrap of d lette'
hastily pinned on the breast, or burieC
in a can or bottle with the remains
mp to The rudely ornamentcd hea,
board which comrades provided where
more time was allowed Previous tt
this. as carly as i'll September. 1861
the secretary of war. by a general or
der. directed accurate and permanent
records to be kept OF deceased soldiers
and their burial places. And surgeon:
in charge of regiments and hospitals
took just pride in keeping and per
fecting their melancholy records. and
consequently the mOrtuary history OF
our armies is much more complete
than might reasonably be expected. NJ
the present time l think we have SO
of the national cemeteries. containing
over 320. 700 honored dead: and every
individual grave is marked by a stone
tablet of granite or marble. more than
oEa-half of tn" names of the dead hav-
ing been preserved and attached 10 the
graves. OF the rest Il is only known
that they died fighting N the union
armies; their graves marked with the
sad inscription. Unknown United
States Soldiers"
Through the state of Virginia, which
had been the great theatre of the
war in the east. il was fDvnd necessary
to lag ont no less than u different ma
tiOnal cemeteries at the most convent
ent points. In Tennessee and Ken
lucky. the chief battle grounds Of the
war in the west. y more were Cstab-
lishCd. seven in Tennessee and six in
Kentucky. The remaining 81 were Cs-
tablishcd throughout the different
states as follows. Four in North Caro-
lima. four in Louisiana, four in Hi
nois. three in Mississippi, three in Mis-
souri,. three in Maryland. two in Indi-
ana, three in Arkansas. two in New
York. two in Kansas. two in PenuSyl-
vania. two in New Mexico. two in
Georgia. two in Florida. two in the
District of Columbia. two in New Jer
sey. two in South Carolina. two III
Texas. one in Montana. one in Indian
Territory. one in West Virginia. one
in Iowa. one in Alabama and one in
California. The one national GENE
terry of the state OF Iowa was estab-
lishCd in 1861. II contains Isl graves
of which $40 are known and Al IN