The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-05-30
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equipment When men go into the field Of active
service each wears about his neck a piece of
tape, and hung upon that tape there is metal
tag which contains his name the branch OF the
service to which be belongs and his particular
regiment and company. This tag is made of
aluminium and the lettering is stamped into It,
1t is practically indestructble If man is killed
In battle he may always be identified
When the identity of the individual has been
established the department will communicate
with his relatives II they desire his remains
these will be prepared for transportation to the
old home. They will be brought back to his own
people to be buried as they wish All expensaS
VIII be borne by the federal government. If the
relatives of the dead soldier or sailor nrefar
that he be buried in a national cemetery thew
may SO order and the orders will be carried ont
to the letter
There are the men who have died In the Philin
pines for instance. None OF these are left to rest
IN this foreign, tropic land. All are eventually
sent back to the states Relatives are informed
OF their coming They may order the disposition
OF the remains as they see fit. In case there is
no can Tor the remains of the Philippine vet
eran. his body Is inferred in the national ceme
terry at San Francisco and duly marked
During the Civil war there were great numbers
OF confederate soldiers taken prisoners and held
In northern prisons. Many OF these died in these
prisons, and many others, suffering from wounds
a"u uiSease, uleu IN the hospitals of the Union
1orces TWO years ago the federal government
appropriated 100000 to mark the graves ~
these Confederate soldiers That money q non
being expended. The task is practicable cor,
pieted The Confederate dead are TINS being
honored in the land from which came their enc
mics IN the monster conflict
At many of the prisons the dead r,or+o5..
were buried separately, and their graves wera
marked with their names In thesa oa.o. ~
graves are being permanently marked with No.,
stones of design different from those used ~
the Union troops but in no way less imnos,ra
There Is the cemetery at Elmira To-
Instance Inc resting place OF the Confederate
dead at that point is no less beautiful nor we,I
cared for than are any OF the national GENE.
teries 'one-
But in most instances 1t was found that tho
dead had been buried in trenches as were most
OF the dead on both sides in that war Hera a.
Is impossible to Identify the individual remains
but the names of all the men buried in given
trenches are to be found in the records OF the
prison. In such cases one imposing monument
~ erected over the spot and the names of all the
dead resting there inscribed upon II Sucb
monument has been erected at Camp Douglas
Chicago, and upon 1t are names OF 4.s75 Confed
erates' Al Point Lookout are the remains Of
$500 prisoners who died, and their resting pIace
has been marked by a similar monument TIM
same course is being followed at sinrs point
N. u; at Alton, ILL.,: at Camp Morton, Ind and ~
Camp Chase, Columbus, O. All such buryine
grounds were marked by jan /, 1912 and the
commission appointed for that purpose disbanded
The federal government has taken no action
toward marking the graves OF Confederate sol
dlers other than those who died in northern prls
ons and hospitals But throughout the south the
various organizations. such as the limited Con-
Ieaerate Veterans and the Daughters of the Con-
Iederacy, have given ample recognition to the
men VINO died for the southern cause Their
bodies have been gathered in special cemeteries.
monuments have been built in their honor ana
tneir graves have been appropriately marked
IN the south on Memorial day there are often
Enacted scenes that are even more touching than
those In other sections for there the veterans 90
ooth causes. those who wore the blue and those
VINO wore the gray, Join hands in honoring the
military dead oftentimes the uniforms OF the
Two causes worn by men in the very eyentide
OF NE are in evidence and old animosities are
buried In realization of the valor of both com
oa'ants and the fact that each fought for cause
he deemed the right.