Evening star., 1939-05-28
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

With the King and Queen ot
Great Britain visiting the continent
of North America in a goodwill
tour, American Memorial Day
(Tuesday) assumes additional sig.
nif1cance.
This custom of setting aside one
day for the decoration of graves o1
soldier dead, now generally observed
throughout the Union, originated ir
the little town of Petersburg, Va.
during the midst of the carnage ot
the Civil War.
In its course, on June 9, 1864, Gen
Kratz of the Union Army, with 2.00C
Federal cavalrymen, made a sur
prise attack on Petersburg, which
was within the Confederate lines
and then unguarded except for q
handful of Confederate pickets
Hastily valiant little company OF
125 old men and young boys gath
cred to oppose their advance until
Confederate reinforcements could
arrive. A tiny cannon dragged from
the public square to the waterworks
was their sole piece of artillery.
Eleven out of this brave group, in
cluding the faithful slave of one of
the most elderly of the men, met
with almost instant death before the
soaring fire of the gunnery Of the
seasoned Union troops.
Graves Decorated.
The following year, on the ami
versary of their useless sacrifice, the
people of Petersburg tenderly dec
Grated their graves with flags and
flowers, along with those newly laid
beside them, whose lives had like
wise been forfeited in the same
cause.
Out of this tribute of affectionate
remembrance, and from the back
ground of its tears and tragedy, has
grown Americas present Nation
wide custom of setting apart one
day in each year as a Memorial Day
to the valor of its soldier dead.
Mrs. John A. Logan, wife of Gen.
Logan of the United States Army
was directly responsible for suggest
ing to her husband that Peters,
burg's tribute of reverence should be
likewise adopted by the comrades in
arms OF the men who had fallen on
the Union side.
To Mrs. Mary Logan Tucker, the
daughter of Gen. and Mrs. Logan,
who is residing at the Highland
Apartments in this city, we are in
debted for an account of the cir
cumstances which surrounded the
executive order which her father
issued in regard to the first May 80
memorial observance.
General Unable to Leave.
In March, 1868, it had been Gen.
Logan's intention to visit the battle
fields of Virginia with Mrs. Logan,
Col. Charles l.. Wilson, editor of
the Chicago Journal; Col. Wilson, S
niece, Miss Anna Wilson, and his
fiancee, Miss Farrar of Boston.
On the eve of the contemplated
important legislation
pending in Congress made it i'm
possible for Gen. Logan to absent
himself from Washington.
At Col. Wilson's insistence, Mrs
Logan, with the Logans' youthful
daughter Mary, then more generally
known as 'Dollie," and little John A..
Logan, jr., since deceased, was in
duced to go forward with the visit
as originally planned
When they reached Petersburg's
churchyard, Mrs. Logan and the
group accompanying her were pro-
foundly touched by the sight which
greeted them. Upon the graves of
the Confederate dead there were
still the faded flowers and the small
bleached flags of the Confederacy,
placed there In mute tribute by
loving hands on Peterburg's Me-
mortal Day.
Upon their return to Washington
Gen. Logan was greatly impressed
by his wife's account of this par
ticular incident and her insistence
that graves of Union soldiers should