The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-06-01
MONUMENTS
FOR UNION
..:.. !. VETERANS.
Soldiers ana Sailors In Aa
tIOnaI CamaIsIIss Have
Ths|f GTaVes Marked

ln the national cemeteries al0n.
there are the remains 0f $4,000 un
I known heroes who met death In thi
4 defense OF their country, and wht
must, because Of the loss Of ihei
Identity, be denied individual re
I cognltion. Yer the nation has ex
hansted every resource In attempt
Ing 70 find the names OF these heroic
4 dead The unknown are being rein
TERED In sacred grounds, theii
graves are being kept green and
great monuments are being erected
70 them collectively
Above all this, the government has
/ developed a system 0t careful and
generous disposition Of the remains
Of the dead soldier or sailor that
offers the greatest possible recon-
pense 10 the aggrieyed and the best
possible chance for the perpetuation
OF the memory Of the gforionsly
dead for the remains OF any man
who dies in the service. wherever
his end may come. are transported
10 any othe spot on the globe that
may be designated BY his family and
there given burial with military htal.
ors. All this Is at the expense Of
the government. for the glory OF the
dead and the consolation OF his fans
lly.
FINALLY, the government Is marking
the graves and placing monuments
over the remains oil the Confederate
soldiers who died III Northern pri.
sons and hospitals during the ciyn
war.
Distributing Monuments.
Wherever any man dies who ever
served IN the United States army or
navy. the federal government stands
ready 10 furnish for his grave 4
headstoue OF marble neatly incerlbsa
with bis name and Indicating his
military service The government
has large contract with a firm In
Massachusetts TO furnish these head
stones. Under the contract 10000
such headstOnes We're delivered last
year An average of $4,000 year
nave been so delivered for the last
score Of years. Since this policy of
marking the graves OF the military
dead was lnaHguraded in 1873 there
have probably been 500. 900 stones
that have gone forth and which are
today standing over the graves OF
nen who once fought for their coun.
try The nation Is willing and anxious
TO continue this distribution of monu.
ments free Of charge, With freight
paid TO ANY point Is Is hoped that
eventually every grave OF every sol
der Will be marked with a stone
that VIII survive forever.
IN National Cemeteries.
The graves Of an soldiers and sail.
ors who are buried In national GENE,
teries are 80 marked when the iden-
tity OF the individual is known.
There are some eight such GENE
teries with total OF 100000 men
buried nthem But of this great
aggregate OF assembled dead OF the
military there are $4,000 buried be-
meath the slab OF the unknown 2
Al Vicksburg, Miss. there are l2,00O
graves with the mark unknown. E
There are acres and acres OF these
white headstanes that mark the
graves of soldiers whose identity
was never established. At Fred.
ericksburg, Va. there are another
i2,0O0 graves OF men whose mothers
never knew where they rested.
There are 5000 of them at Memphis.
10000 at Salisbury. N. c., 5000 at
Richmond, 1000 at Nashville and
similar and smaller numbers scat.
tered over the country as whole.
AL the greatest OF the national Gene
teries, that az Arlington opposite
Washington, ID. Cs, there is d single
great monument that marks the
burying place Of ALI unknown sol
diers whose remains were gathered
from the battleflelds OF yiginla.
According 10 q statement prepared
by the adiutant generals office.
Union soldiers who died in battle
numbered 67,05Ss Of wounds, 480l2.
or disease. las,72D; other causes
such as accidents murder prisons
etc. 40154 Total dead. 34g.e44.
Deserters numbered 1873 l0G A par.
tial statement OF The Confederate sol.
diers who died OF Wounds and dis.
ease places the figure AZ 133,S2l: de-
serters. i0l.42S Union troops par.
oiled on the feld l6.43i Confederate
troops paroled on the field 24S5 59s.
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