The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-05-15
DEDICATION TODAY IN
NATIONAL CEMETERY
Erected in Memory OF
Soldiers and Sailors Of All
Wars.

Washington, May 15.-To the mem
ory of the soldiers and sailors who
fought the battles of the United
States in all wars, a great Memorial
AmphItheater was dedicated today in
Arlington National Cemetery.
The ceremonies were attended by
veterans of three wars, membe of
the diplomatic corps, cabinet, Senate
House and other government officials
and a large gathering of people A
procession of army, navy and marine
corps detachments, veterans OF the
Grand Amy of the Republic and al
lied organizations, Spanish War veter
ans and World War veterans led by
Major General Nelson A. Miles ire
tired) preceded the ceremonies.
Tho dedicatory exercises were un'
der the auspices of the Grand Army
OF the Republic to whose efforts cred
It is given for the inception OF the
memorial and for IS years CT work for
it. Secretary Baker, Secretary Dan
les both members of the commission
which had charge Of the construction
OF the memorial; and Colonel d. NJ.
Hall of Columbus, O., commander in
| cl ief of the Grand Army of The Re
public, were the principal speakers.
4 The great structure Of white mar
BILE, built by the government at cost
Of s825,000 stands in the southern
part of Arlington National Cemetery
amid the graves OF thousands of the
! Nations dead. Near il are the
Maine memorial, where the battleship
Names fighting top stands sentinel
over the graves of the men who lost
their ives when the vessel was sunk
in Havana harbor, and the Confeder.
ate memorial, surrounded by the
graves Of southerners.
Besides mmanding view of the
cemetery, the memorial oveIlooks the
Potomac River and the city ct Wash
lington 1t contains a chape! and seats
= SOC people.
Ffty-siX years ago yes erday Airing
Itor national Cemetery was first used
when Presideu Lincoln personally
witnessed the burial there of l. sol
ldierS who died IN the hospital on the
Arlington estate abandoned by Gen
eral Robert Z Lees family at tht
beginning OF the civil war and bought
by the United States at a tax sole fol
hospital purposes. Later the govern
ment paid. the Lee heirs Sl5O,000 Sci
diers Home cemetery was filled and
Quartermaster General Meigs, will
President Lincoln's consent ordered
the soldiers buried in Arlington That
was the beginning of Arlington Ma
tonal Cemetery which has become
one of the shrines of the Nations so
dier and sailor dead.
For years a little yine-clad amphi
thaaer served for ceremonies or
Memorial Days, when the Presiden
cf the United States usually was the
orator, but the gatherings outgreV
this and the Grand Army of the Re
public is years ago began move
ment for the memorial amphitheater
Authorization for construction wa,
given by Congress several years ago
and commission appointed to carr!
out the plans. Besides the Secretary
of War, who is chairman Of the com
mission, and the Secretary OF thC
Navy, the commission was composed
of Elliott Woods, superintendent o
the United States Capitol Building
and Grounds; Colonel John McElroy
representing the Grand Army Of thC
Republic Fred Beall, representing
the United Couferedate Veterans, ant
Charles w. Newton, representing tn,
Spanish War Veterans.
The Arlington Memorial Amphithr
ater is said to be the only memora
of its kind in the world monumoGt
and memorials OF all kinds hoyin,
been erected to the soldiers and sail
ors who fought all the battles Of the
country.