Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-09
SHAFT FOR SOUIHERNERS
Shaft Dedicated at Sandusky, o., for
Confederate Dead.
JoHNs0Ns ISLAND HEROES
Memorial Erected in Tribute 10 Of
Ulcers and Men Now Buried
I'm Historic Gene
terry.

SANDUSKY, o., June S.-A monument to
the memory Of confederate officers and
soldiers buried on Johnson's island, san
dusky bay, Lake Erie was dedicated to-
day. The movement to erect the statue
originated with the Robert Patton chapter
Of the United Daughters of the Confcd-
Grey Of Cincinnati, o. The chapter pur-
chased the cemetery in 1905, when It was
found that the spot around which so many
historic memories clustered, was being ne
elected and practically abandoned. It's
only visitors were the veterans of a Grand
Army post who every Decoration day held
memorial services for their former foes.
Prior to this, however, one effort has
been made to save the cemetery from the
neglect into which it had fallen. In 1859 a
party of editors and officials of the state
of Georgia visited the island They saw
only broken fences and weed grown
mounds Stirred by the sight, they re-
turned home and raised a fund which pro-
vided headstones of Georgia marble for
each of the 2O6 graves. 1t was found that
fifty-four of them must remain nameless,
for the memory of the buried had van
ished.
Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman,
federal commissary general of prisoners
leased forty acres of land on johnson s
island in the fall of 1851 from l.. b. John
son. The intention was to use this land
solely for the accommodation of confed-
crate Officers and. although during the
subsequent years of the war, small bodies
Of privates were taken from time to time
sent to the island it was usually through
error and they were invariably drafted tc
other prisons. The island lies in Sandusky
bay, about three miles from the town OF
Sandusky, and the post was known Off
cially depot Prisoners of War, John
sons Island Near Sandusky, o.
The greatest number of prisoners con
fined on the island at any time was abou
1900. This was just prior to the close o
the war. All in all about 10000 officer
and soldiers were imprisoned there and "a
! deaths were recorded. Fourteen of thu
| dead were buried on the mainland.
When the first prisoners died Mr.
johnson gave his consent to their buria
on the island and the cemetery was lait
out under his personal direction. No leas
on the land was ever executed and n,
compensation given for its use. Sub
sequently, at the close of the war, Mr.
johnson, at his own expense, built
wire fence aroupnd the plot and kept
in repair for several years. Later on al
officer from the Columbus federal bar
racks visited the island and had tn
original fence removed and more sub
| stantial one erected in it's stead. Fo
| many years afterwards the cemetery wa
allowed to fall into decay until, in 1855
the veterans Of McMoens post, Gran,
Army of the Republic of Sandusky, O.
| paid generous tribute to the men VIII
had fought against them. They had tn
| cemetery weeded and cared for and on tn
Memorial day following held service
there similar to those held over the unto!
dead in Oakland cemetery Sandusky.
r Every succeeding Memorial day up I
three years ago they carried out simlla
services AS the veterans were all me
In advanced years they were forced 4
1907 to discontinue their trips TO tn
island. They decided also that in view O
the fact that up to that time PRACTICAL
no interest had been shown in the con
federate graves by either the relative
or friends of those buried there Their
was no demand on them to continue tn
services.
This action by the Grand Army pos
became widely known and drew the al
! tention of the various confederate or
ganizations throughout the country t
the neglected condition of one of the mos
memorable landmarks of the great struG
gle. The Daughters of the Confederacy be
came interested The campaign wa
headed by the Robert Patton post, whic
raised the funds for the purchase of tn
cemetery and then issued another appea
for fund to provide a suitable monu
4 ment to the dead
/ Money was literally contributed through
out the south and a substantial amour
was also raised in the north. The com
mission for the monument was given I
Sir Moses Ezekiel who executed tn
statue in his studio in Rome and shippe
1t here a few weeks ago. The first photo
graphs OF 1t win be copyrighted by tn
Daughters of the Confederacy and sold
the proceeds to be added to the monu
ment fund.
The historic value of Johnsons island lie
| not merely In the number of famous sol
: ders who were confined there during til
war, but also In the many stories of at
tempted daring rescues which cluster abou
, II. For three years plot after plot wa
laid to free the thousands who lay In car
/ tivity on the island. Every attempt how
; ever, failed. The main guard of the islam
was the gunboat Michigan, now the Wo
VERNE. which frustrated more than one ser
satfona effort at rescue. The Wolverln.