The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-06-15
HONOR CONFEDERATE DEAD
AT JOHNSON'S ISLAND, OHIO.
MONUMENT Is DEDICATED.
Erected Where Old Prison Stood BY
Cincinnati Chapter of Daughters
of the COnfederacy.

CINCINNATI Chapter OF Daughters
of the COnfederacy.
SANDUSKY, On the presence
of several hundred southerners, rep
resenting nearly all the states in the
confederacy, a monument to the
memory of 206 confederate officers
and privates buried on Johnson's Is
land, Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie, was
dedicated today.
The monument, erected by the
Robert Patton Chapter of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy of
Cincinnati, was unveiled by Mrs.
Mary Patton Hudson of Cincinnati,
daughter of Robert Patton, a noted
southern ranger.
The dedicatory address was deliv-
cred by Gen. George w. Gordan of
Memphis, commander-in-chief United
Confederate Veterans.
Other addresses were delivered by
Gen. Bennett H. Young of Louisville,
KY, Joseph A. Mangus of Cincin-
natl and Sir Moses Ezekiel of Rome,
Italy, designer of the monument. Sir
Moses was a soldier under Gen. Rob-
ert E. Lee.
The greatest number of prisoners
confined on the island at any one
time was about 5000 This was just
prior to the close of the war. All in
all 10000 officers and soldiers were
imprisoned there, and 22O deaths
were recorded. Fourteen of the dead
were buried on the mainland.
When the first prisoners died T.
3. Johnson gave his consent to their
burial on the island, and the ceme-
terry was laid out under his personal
direction. No lease on the land was
ever executed and no compensation
given for its use. Subsequently, at
the close of the war Mr.. Johnson, at
his own expense, built a wire fence
around the plot and kept it in repair
Tor 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 Gem
etery was allowed to fall into decay.
until, in 1881, the veterans of Nc
meens Post, Grand Army of the Re-
public, of Sandusky, Ohio, paid
/ generous tribute to the men who had
! fought against them. They had the
| cemetery weeded and cared for. and
on the Memorial day following held
services there similar to those held
over the union dead in Oakland Gem
etery, Sandusky.
Every succeeding Memorial day up
! TO three years ago they carried out
similar services. AS the veterans
were all men in advanced years they
were forced in 1907 to discontinue
thelr trips to the island. They de-
clded also that in view of the fact
that up to that time practically no in
terest had been shown in the con-
tederate- graves by either the reIa-
yves or friends of those buried there
| mere was no demand on them to con-
tlnue the services.
This action by the Grand Army
| posi- became widely known, and drew
the attention of the various confed-
crate organizations throughout the
icountry to the neglected condition of
one OF the most memorable land
marks of the great struggle.
Inc statue occupies a Dosition on
Cne Shore of Sandusky Bay, near the
entrance of the island cemetery. and
races to the south. 1t represents a
confederate soldier in uniform. The
right hand clutches a musket the
STOCK OF which rests on the ground
Inc left hand is raised to the fore
mead, shading the eyes, and the fig
gre seems to be peering into the far
distance, toward the south.
The statue rests on a pedestal con-
Istructed of South Carolina marble
upon which is engraved in large let,
ters: Erected by the Robert Patton
Chapter, United Daughters of the
lConfederacy, of Cincinnati. O in
memory of the Southern soldiers who
dled in the federal prison on this is
land during the war between, the
states. Dead, but sceptered sover-
elgns who rule us from the dust ,,
On the base is this inscrintion.
Inc stone upon this was inscribed
and placed by the Grand Lodpa of
mississippi in remembrance of the
Masons who sleep here"
On the ends of the base stone oro
the words: confederate SoIdiere
They are Masons.'' 'Oi0i D