The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-22
.B|VOUAC OF DEAD;
H0WE'S SUBJECT
Superintendent Of National Cemetery
at keokuk Tells About Establish
ment Of These Eternal Camp
Ing Grounds.
MANY UNKNOWN DEAD
AndersonviIle Was Not the Worst Of
the Confederate Camps ~ Rec
ords Were Kept Of its
Victims.

Mart Howe, superintendent OF the
National cemetery at Keokuk, read
paper recently at the meeting Of Tor
renee Post No. 2, G.. A. r., dealing
with the national cemeteries OF the
United States. There are eighty-three
national cemeteries in the United
States. Keokuk's cemetery was es-
tablished September %, 1861.
Mr.. Howe's interesting paper fol-
lows:
1--WE find the hrst act Of congress
establishing and making rules for
their government, February %, 1867.
It required over two years, after the
close, OF the war, to assemble the re-
mains from the many battle fields,
Virginia in the east and Tennessee in
the west were the two great battle
fields and more dead are resting In
those states by great odds, than are
in any others. there being $4,000 In
Virginia and $4,000 in Tennessee, or
a total Of $4,000. There are approxi-
mately $50, 1000 interments in the 80
national cemeteries and OF this num-
Der $4,000 are marked unknown.
The following eleven National Gem
eteries have ten thousand or more IN
tered therein:
First comes Arlington with 1900
known and 1890 unknown, and con-
tains over 400 acres.
Vicksburg with 400 known and
$4,000 unknown; Nashville with 12,-
900 known and 4,700 unknown; Mem
phis with $500 known and 5000 un-
known; Fredericksburg with $500
known and 1880 unknown; Ander-
sonville with 1880 known and $50
unknown; Chattanooga with $500
known and 5000 unknown; Chalmette,
La, with 1900 known and $500 UNI
known; Jefferson Barracks (St.
LOUISE with $500 known and 5000
unknown; Salisbury with 112 known
and 10000 unknown: Marietta, Ga,
with 7,400 known and 5000 unknown.
AndersonviIle Not Worst.
"For years after the war as we'll
as thousands of others. were led to
believe that Andersonville was the
hell hole of southern prisons. but
the records disclose that While An
Jacksonville prison was UNANIMOUSLY
conducted, yet list was kept and
preserved Of all deaths.
While at Salisbury no record was
made as our noble heroes passed
away; they were carted out and cast
into trenches, corded up like WOOD
and the only way our government
could ascertain the number inferred
Gas there are eighteen trenches, 24O
feet long), was by excavating into each
trench every SO many feet. And count
ing the skeletons and thereby approx
imating the number.
Think for moment, only 112
known and $4,000 unknown.
"Since this Golgotha' has passed
into the hands Of our splendid govern
ment each trench has been surround
ed by stone curbing to protect them
from washing. And they have been
mounded up and soded and fine
monument has been erected in COM
memoration Of our noble heroes who
gave up their young lives for our
country and our flag
"This makes total Of 16O.1f2
known and 74,030 unknown in those
eleven cemeteries.
"All National cemeteries are under
the Jurisdiction Of the secretary of
war. who places them under the man
apement Of the quarter master gen.
eral of the United States.