Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-06

the historic characters who rest hero.
Here sleeps Belnap. a brave, loyal. glort-
GUS Iowan, Notwithstanding the nisfor-
tune. Here lies Gregg, ingalls,. Hazen.
King, Meyer (the very man whose first
idea was for Arlington for a National
cemetery. Peace to the thoughtful one.
Just on the bluff rest Sheridan. dmiral
Porter, Crook, Doubleday. Meigs. Berdan.
Of there is a sharpshooter in Iowa. he
remembers Berdan, I am sure). A little
way off is a mauSeleum. Think what Is
within: 2,1l1 unknown soldiers gathered
after the battle of Bull Run, and en- to
the Rappahannock. 1 stopped WIN 1 was
a little ways from here, finding myself at
the grave of a daring soldier in the civA
war, and when killed in the Spanish
American war l stood close by. soon
after his death, Breckenridge of his staff.
a brave and dear soldier of the south.
and / laid side by side in cots in the
Manila hospital. So it was with more than
ordinary sadness 1 stood beside the gen.
eral 1 had seen killed. Here rest Double
day. Meigs, Ricketts,. All, 1T is a countess
host of brave fellows lying dead on this
Potomac bank. The mansion has its his
tory as / have suggested. One thousand
one hundred and sixty acres We're the
original tract of this place. 1t was
bought by John Custis and he paid ell 900
for it early in the Eighteenth century.
He belonged to the r. +. VS.. The his
tory of the "old angry gentleman Marta
cambridge, the marriage, and the widow
with two children, John and Eleanor.
would make too long a story here. Suf-
flee it to say that the Custis family lived
at Arlington, and the place was made very
beautiful, and it finally fell to the daugh-
ter who married young Lee, the son of
Light Horse Harry" and when the civil
war came, Lee left his country which had
schooled him and became an enemy of his
country. The estate was sold for taxes
and the United States paid $685. 600 for it.
and in 1864 this National cemetery was
established. A law suit was brought in
the supreme court in 1884 by G. W.. Gusts
Lee, who really inherited the estate, and
the government paid $50. 900 in settlement.
From this settlement has come this beau
tiful resting place for the dead. Just be-
hind the house is a miniature temple, and
on the columns of it are marked the
names of great soldiers of our country.
This is the Temple of Fame. Here decor
alton services are held each year.
South of this, but a little way off, the
victims Of the battleship Maine are buried.
With them rest several hundred of our
boys who died in Cuba and Porto Rico.
A union soldier like myself loves to visit
Arlington. Reflections come very thick
and fast amid such environments Think
of a big army, now but dust, all here,
thousands and thousands, and all dead
for the union. They were my comrades
too, mine, for I was in a good many bat
ties with many of these men who lie here.
Lots of Iowa soldiers stood side by side
with some of these heroes who sleep here.
1t is no wonder a union soldier bows his
head in reverence on these sacred grounds.
No wonder presidents are moved to tears
as they stand here on Memorial days.
A country united, no north, no south, no
| east and no west. a wonderful union is
worth all the sacrifice. So let these braves
OF both sides of the sad war sleep.
No rumor Of the foes advance
Now swells upon the wind:
No troubled thought at midnight haunts
OF loved ones left behind.
No vision of the morrow's strife
The warriors dream alarms.
NO praying horn or screaming fife
AT dawn shall call to arms.