The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-06-09

Sandusky, O., June S.-A monu-
ment to the memory Of Confederate
officers and soldiers buried on John
sons Island, Sandusky Bay Lake
Erie, was dedicated today. =. The
movement to erect the statue origi-
mated with the Robert Patton Chap
ter Of the United Daughters Of the
Confederacy, Of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The chapter purchased the cemetery
IN 1908 when 1T was found that the
spot around which so many historic
memories clustered, was being neg
lecteda and practically abandoned.
its only visitors were the veterans OIL
Grand Army post who every Decor
alton Day held memorial services for
their former foes.
t.. Prior to this; however, one effort
had been. made to save the cemetery
from the neglect into which it had
fallen. In 18S9a party of editors
and officials of the State of Georgia
visited the islands They saw many
broken fences and weed grown
! mounds. Stirred by the sight, they
returned home and raised fund.
which provided headstnnes of lGeor=
gla marble for each Of the 2O6
| graves. 1t was then found that 54
the memory Of the buried had van
| ished ..
Lieutenant Colonel William Hoff-
man, federal commissary general Of
prisoners, leased forty acres of land
on Johnson's Island in the fall Of
| 1851 from l., B. Johnson. The in
tentlon was to- use this land solely
FOR the ACCOMMODATION Of Confeder-
ate officers and although during the
subsequent years of the war small
| bodies Of prlvates were from time
to time sent to the island it. was
| usually through error and they were
invariably promptly drafted to other
prisons. The island lies in Sandusky
Bay, abont three miles from the
town :of Sapdasky and the, post was
known officially as "Depot Prisoners
of War, Johnson's s. Island, near San
dusky, Ohio" ...
The{ greatest number Of prisoners
confined on the island at any one
time was about :.3;O00. This was
just prior to the close of the war
All in all about 10,OOO~ officers and
! soldiers were imprisoned there and
220 deaths were recos ded. Four
| teen of the dead were buried on the
mainland. ''"'-~ -. 81"
| fulIen FOcS.
When the first prisoners died Mr.
Johnson gave his consent to their
burial on the island and the cemc-
terry was laid out under his personal
direction. No lease on the land was
ever executed and no compensation
given for it's use. Subsequently, at
the close of the war, MIR. Johnson, at
his own expense, bnit a wire fence
around the plot and kept it in repair
for several years. Later on an Off
Ger from the Columbus federal bar
racks visited the island and had the
original fence removed and a more
substantial one erected in it's stead
For many years afterwards the
cemetery was allowed to fall into de-
| cay until, in 1881 the veterans of
| McMeen's Post, Grand Army Of the
Republic, Of Sandusky, Ohio, paid a
| Senerous-tribute to the men who had
fought against them. They had the
cemetery weedcd and cared for and
on the Memorial Day following held
services there similar to those held
over tho Union dead in Oakland GEM
terry, Sandusky.
Every succeeding Memorial Day,
up to three years ago they carried
| out similar services. AS the veter-
ans were all men in advanced years
they were forced in 1907 to discon-
tinue their trips to the island. They
decided also that in view Of the fact
that UP to that time practically no
interest had been shown in the Con-
tederate graves by either the rea-
tives Or friends Of those buried there
there was no demand on them to
continue the services.
action bY-the Grand Army
post became widely known and drew
the attention Of the various Confed-
crate organizations throughout the
country to the neglected condition Of
one Of the most memorable land
marks of the great struggle. The
, Daughters Of the Confederacy be-
came interested. The campaign was
headed by the Robert Patton post
which raised the funds for the pur-
chase Of the cemetery and then is
| sued another appeal for q fund to
| provide q suitable monument to the
| dead.
Money was literally contributed
| throughout the South and a substan-