Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1913-05-30
GRAHE ar GIN R7zI SIzERLDAv-

equipment When men go into the field Of active
service each about his neck piece OF
tape, and hung upon that tape there Is metal
tag which contains his name, the branch of the
service to which he belongs and his particular
regiment and company. This tag is made OF
aluminium and the lettering is stamped into it.
1t is practically indestructible If 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. If 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 expenses
will be borne by the federal government If the
relatives Of the dead soldier sailor prefer
that he be buried in national cemetery they
may SO order, and the orders will be carried out
to the letter.
There are the men who have died in the Philip
pines for instance. None of these left to rest
in this foreign tropc land All are eventually
sent back to the states. Relatives are informed
of their coming. They may order the disposition
of the remains they see fit In there is
call for 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 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
and disease, died in the hospitals of the Union
forces. Two years ago the federal government
appropriated 100000 to mark the graves Of
these Confederate soldiers. That money Is now
being expended. The task is practically COM
pleted The Confederate dead are thus being
honored In the land from which came their enc
mics n the monster conflict
At many of the prisons the dead Confederates
were buried separately, and their graves were
marked with their names. In these cases the
graves are being permanently marked with head
stones of design different from those used for
the Union troops, but In no way less imposing.
There is the cemetery at Elmira, N. Y. for
instance. The resting place Of the Confederate
dead at that point is no less beautiful nor we'll
cared for than any of the national ceme-
teries.
But in most instances 1t was found that the
dead had been buried In trenches, as were most
Of the dead on both sides in that war. Here 1t
is impossible to identify the individual remains
but the of all the men buried in given
trenches are to be found in the records of the
prison. In such cases imposing monument
is erected over the spot and the names Of all the
dead resting there are inscribed upon it. Such
a monument has been erected at Camp Douglas
Chicago, and upon it are names Of 4,275 Confed-
crates At Point Lookout are the remains of
$500 prisoners who died, and their resting place
has been marked by d similar monument. The
course is being followed at films Point,
N j. at Alton, Ill., at Camp Morton, Ind, and at
Camp Chase, Columbus, o. All such burying
grounds marked by Jan l, 1912 and the
commission appointed for that purpose dsbanded
The federal government has taken no action
toward marking the graves Of Confederate sol.
diers other than those who died in northern pris
ons and hospitals. But throughout the south the
various organizations. such as the United Con.
federate Veterans and the Daughters of the Con-
federacy have given ample recognition to the
men who died for the southern cause Their
Nod hovo hoop ooth rod In oil
- monuments have been built in their honor and
their graves have been appropriately marked
In the south on Memorial day there often
Z enacted scenes that are even more touching than
those in other sections, for there the veterans oil
n both causes those who wore the blue and those
80 who wore the gray, join hands In honoring the
military dead Oftentimes the uniforms of the
two causes, by in the very eventide
OF life are in evidence and old animosities are
buried in a realization OF the valor OF both com
batants and the fact that ach fought for a
he deemed the right.