The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-25

opposite his name on his company and
regimentai rolls. Many also have the
number Of the regiment on the tag.
The tags of the officers usually are
Of aluminium and besides the number
have the name and rank, sometimes
also the home address. Some OF the
privates also have replaced the com
mon tin tag with an aluminium one,
purchased themselves at thirty cents
each, upon which Is stamped the
name and address and regiment, be-
sides the required number. After
the battle, when the Germans hno
their dead, the collar on each shirt
ia opened, thu string cut and the tag
taken and sent to headquarters for
identification. There the books are
opened and fallen" together with
the place of fight or battle Is written
opposite the name and number Of the
dead soldier.
At Liege probably for the first time
in German wars, death obliterated
dictinction in rank. For the first time
as far as I can learn German omcers
and common soldiers were buried IN
the same trenches. It has always
been the rule-a sort OF unwrttten law
that every fallen oflcer should
have a separate grave and not be
buried in a common trench. To
large extent this is still done, espec-
tally with officers Of higher rank than
captain. But the unprecedented mo-
bility and rapid advance Of the Ger
man army into Belgium and France
made this extremely difficult. A non
commissioned officer. q volunteer 90
years of age, who commanded the
burial squad at Liege, told me there
was not much time to take much
pains in burying. The tags now re-
moved from the fallen, watch. money,
etc, taken to be sent to the rela-
tives, the bodies-uniform and all
| wrapped with their blankets and laid
| in rows side by side il the trenches.
The fallen of the enemy are not
buried in the same trench, but are
placed together in a separte trench.
Even in death there shall be no broth
erhod between those who fought and
took each Others lives. The uniforms
are taken from the bodies OF the enc
my's fallen and laid on the t. s of
graves as means Of Identification Of
friends. If they wear tage they are
removed. Officer with whom 1 talked
said that many separate graves OF
officers as had been shown after
1870, proved troublesome to, land own
ers. It has been decided therefore.
wherever 1t was thought best to bury
the officers with their men. One fea-
ture of the German side OF battle
field in this war, is the thorough man
ner in which the Germans 'clean up"
the field after battle. It Is not only
the natural sense OF "orderliness"
which is so characteristic of the Ger
man character but there is method
and purpose. That is. that the battle
field shall reveal no tales. 1t shall
give nothing from which a conclusion
can be drawn as to losses Or any
other thing. Everything Is removed
as If a rag picker had gone over the
field. There is little trace Of the
grave so from its size the conclusion
might be drawn as to the number
buried. The future belongs to the ilv-
ing, not the dead, seems to be the
motto.
On the German side OF the battle
fields I have visited and from the
many I have talked with who have
been over other battle fields in Bell
gilm and France, / have always heard
the same observation, however fast
the Germans advance, they leave a
clean up squad" In sharp contrast
to this are the section OF the battle !,
fields over which the French fought.
They are simply Uttered with guns, /