El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-10

! M Despite the crippled condi-
w ton in which the south found
/ itself at the close of the civil war, one
of the first matters to receive atten-
ton was the provision for a suitable
resting place for the soldiers who
had yielded their lives in the fight
for the lost cause and there are more
] than so of these confederate ceme-
| teries scattered over the southern
states. The state legislatures without
exception made provision for estab-
fishing special cemeteries in which the
| bodies of confederate soldiers could
| be placed where they would receive
proper care and attention.
Much of the credit for this work is
due to the women of the cOnfederacy
who gave their heartiest effort to this
work. Wherever a battle was fought
or a hospital was located within the
limits of the confederacy provision
was made for suitable care for the
dead. While the chief thought was
naturally for the soldiers of their own
army, even in that early day there was
many a union soldiers grave which
was also the recipient of tender at
tentiOn from the hands of the people
against whom he fought
Many Memorial Monuments.
Each grave in these cemeteries has
been marked in some way, either from
the appropriations made for the pur-
pose by the state or by the subscrip-
lions and donations made by the
people Of the vicinity in which it is
located. Special monuments of ap-
propriate design are still being erected
in honor of confederate soldiers in
each of the states represented in the
cOnfederacy and the state apprOprla-
lions for this purpose have been most
liberal. Some of the cemeteries have
a number of monuments representing
different appropriations. In the con-
federate cemetery at Charleston, s.
C., there are six memorial monuments
and a large number of memorial tab
lets.
Richmond has II monuments and a
number of memorial tablets, and
nearly as many. In New Orleans the
beautiful monuments erected to the
memory of confederate soldiers are
especially noteworthy. The south has
also honored the women whose 10y
atty and unselfish devotion inspired
the yalor of the men, and in the ceme-
terry at Fort Mill, S c., there has re-
Gently been erected a monument to
the women of the south and another
one to the faithful slaves who, not
proffered liberty, were yet loyal to
their masters and to the charges CON-
mitted to their care.
A number of new monuments are
HOW II pIOCcSS o. eI6CllOn III the
south. Some of them are being placed
in national cemeteries as, for ex-
ample, each confederate state which
had troops in the battle of Chicka-
manga will have its participation
marked by a shaft in the Chicka-
manga National park Similar action
is to be taken in the near future for
the battlefields of Antietam. Shiloh
and Gettysburg.
Blue and Cray United.
The united action of the soldiers of
the north and SOUTH in connection
with the Spanish war, was the death
feeling still existed between the two
sections of the country and shortly
after its close popular opinion began
to favor the United States government
making some provision for the mark
ing of the graves of the confederate
soldiers with stones similar to those
provided for the union soldiers. Pres
ident Mckinley advocated it in a pub
lie address in Atlanta shortly after
the close of the Spanish war
At a reunion of the United Con-
federate veterans held a few months
later, however, the matter was dis
cussed and resolutions of apprecia-
ton adopted Il was voted, however |
that any federal action taken for this
purpose should refer only to the con
federate graves which are located N
northern states, as the care of such
graves in the southern states is re-
garded as a sacred trust.
The first movement made toward a
provision for marking the graves Of
the soldiers of the confederate army
and navy upon the part OF the federal
government was the appropriation by