The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-23
W0Rk0 MARKING
GRAVES COMPLETE
Confederate Soldiers Who Died
in Northern Prisons Are
Honored.

Washington. November 22.-Arter
more than six years continuous work
the War Department has completeo
the duty, specially assigned to II oy
Congress. of marking the graves OF
the soldiers and sailors OF the COM ed =
crate army and navy who dieo IN
northern prisons and were buried near
the prisons where they died. at total
expense within the limits of the orlga-
nal appropriation of 100000. ina,
work was done under the supervision
Of three commissioners. who had served
in the Confederate army. II was be-
gun by Colonel William Elliott. OF
South Carolina, continued by General
William C. Oates. Of Alabama. both
Of whom died in office, and completed
by ex-senator James H. Berry. OF Ar
kansas
The original act of Congress provid-
ing FOR the work. approved March 3.
1906, provided that II should he com
pleted within two years Un FEBRUARY
1908. Congress extended the time al
iowance two years. and in 1910 the
time was again extended three years.
The extensions were dee to the uneX-
pected difficulties experienced to prose
cutting the work, due especially to the
impossibility in many cases of identi-
individual headstone, appropriately n-
scribed. for the grave OF each soldier
or sailor, as contemplated 10y the law.
Report to War Department.
Commissioner Berry has just report
ed to the Secretary of War the COM
pletion Of the work and has closed his
office in this city. L. Frank Nye, OF
Pennsylvania, who was secretary TO
each OF the three commissioners, has
been appointed clerk at $500 IN
the Office of the Secretary of War. The
final report of the commissioner Will
be submitted to Congress at the be-
ginning of the coming session
Although the report will not be made
public until that is done. 1t is known
generally that what has been accom-
plished is the locating and marking
of the graves OF about 22,500 Confeder-
ate soldiers and sailors who died in
Northern prisons during the Civil War.
In every case where IL was possible
each Of these graves was marked with
a white marble headstone sim lar to
those placed over the graves In the
Confederate section of Arlington Ma
tionai Cemetery
In cases where the identification OF
individual graves was impossible. mon
uments were erected with bronze tab
lets attached, giving the names and
c Jmmands OF those so honored. A
monument Of that character was
erected at Point Lookout, Nd. to mark
the burial place Of about 1884 Confed-
crates Similar monuments have been
erected by the government at Chicago,
North Alton, H.; Indianapolis. Firms
p Dint y. J.; Philadelphia, Shohola. Pa
Harrodsburg. KY: Evansville, Terre
Haute and Lafayette, Ind. and other
places There are about 400 ConfSd-
crates buried In lakewood Cemetery.
at Chicago: about 1900 at Firms Point
and a smaller number at each of the
other places named
IN Many CeAeterSes.
The graves marked with individual
headstones number nearly 10000. q
large majority OF them being In GEM
eteries IN Elmira. N Y: Columbus.
Ohio: Rock Island. Ill: Jefferson Bar
racks. No: Springfield. Ill, and Mad
ison, Wis. Included In the total II
one grave in Rock Creek Cemetery and
thirty in Congressional Cemetery. both
in the District OF Columbia