USA > Missouri > Greene County > Past and present of Greene County Missouri, early and recent history and genealogical records of many of the representative citizens, Volume I > Part 59
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The location of the cemetery is on Kickapoo prairie about four miles southeast of Springfield. The grounds are enclosed by a rubble stone wall laid in mortar and covered with a coping of sandstone slabs. The main en- trance is on the north side. There is a driveway from the entrance to and around the mound, which is in the center of the lot, and upon which is the flag staff. There was formerly a driveway around the lot just inside the wall, but this has been discontinued. The mound is eighty feet in diameter at the base and three terraces are made upon its surface. A goodly number of hard maple trees affords abundant shade and the closely-cut lawn adds much to the general view. A tasteful variety of flowers is clustered about the grounds. There are six gun monuments located upon the grounds, two near the entrance and the others along the driveways. These guns were taken from the forts in Springfield and were used in the defense of the city. The graves are arranged in parallel rows and are flush with the ground. The dead of each state are grouped together and the name of the state is placed on the marker. The dead from Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Kansas constitute the larger groups. Near the entrance gate is located a monument
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donated by Dr. T. J. Bailey and dedicated to the soldiers and citizens who fell in the defense of Springfield. The cost of the monument was five thou- sand dollars. The dedication of this splendid gift of our fellow townsman took place May 30, 1800. The presentation was made by Judge Geiger and the acceptance by Thomas C. Fletcher. The height of the monument is thirty-two feet and the top is surmounted by a private soldier, panoplied for war. This gift manifested the patriotic ardor of the war times. Inscribed on the face of the monument are these words: "They sacrificed their lives to defend our homes. They are our dead, and with grateful hearts we will remember them. In honor and to aid in memory of the citizens and volun- teer soldiers who were killed and died of wounds received in defense of Springfield against the Confederates, January 8, 1863."
THE FIRST DECORATION.
The first decoration of the soldiers' graves took place June 30, 1868. Judge Geiger was officer of the day and the addresses were made by S. H. Boyd and W. E. Gilman. A procession one mile in length was formed in Springfield, with sixty-five wagons, twenty carriages, five hundred on horse- back and one hundred and fifty footmen. The procession was met near the cemetery by two hundred people from the country. Two great floats were ladened with flowers, sufficient in quantity to literally cover the graves. Many from surrounding towns flocked to the city, drawn hither by the occasion, the novelty. and the established cemetery by the United States. The people carried their luncheon with them and tarried in the hallowed spot till late in the afternoon. It was a pathetic sight, the removal of the dead had just been completed. Here were eight hundred newly-made graves and hun- dreds of relatives gathering around the graves that concealed their dead were pouring out their grief and lamentation in audible sounds. The occa- sion. the addresses, the large attendance, produced a profound impression. Mothers, wives and sweethearts kneeling about the place that marked their dead-the fact that they were in the presence of eight hundred slain men, grouped together in the same field-all these sights and thoughts brought back afresh the past few years.
There are but three National cemeteries in the state, and but one Con- federate. The National cemeteries are located at Jefferson City, Jefferson Barracks, and Springfield.
Who may be buried in a National cemetery? All officers, cadets, en- listed men of the army, navy and marine corps, men in government revenue service, army and navy paymasters, who died in the service and held dis- charges : also army nurses honorably discharged. Eminent citizens who ren- dered praiseworthy service to their country may be buried in National ceme-
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teries by special permission. Evidence of service must accompany the re- quest for interment, such as a discharge or pension certificate, or special per- mission from the quartermaster's department in St. Louis. Interments may not be made on Sundays or on holidays. Inscriptions on markers are lim- ited to the name, rank and military service of the decedent. The Govern- ment furnishes the headstones or markers, and the keeper must see that these are kept clean. No shrubs, plants, baskets or any other receptacles are allowed upon the graves. The average interments are about twenty-five per year. The total number resting in the National cemetery is one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-six-known, one thousand, one hundred and fifty- seven-unknown, seven hundred and nine. The Confederate cemetery con- tains five hundred and sixty graves, mostly unknown. Hazelwood contains four thousand graves. This city of the dead has a population of six thou- sand, four hundred. and twenty-five.
One more thoughtful addition has been made by the National Govern- ment to her burial places. To serve as an epitaph for her fallen heroes and for the purpose of giving direction to the thought and meditation of visit- ors, iron placards have been placed along the driveways, on which are printed, in raised letters. selections from the poem of Theodore O'Hara, a native of Kentucky, born in 1820. This great elegiac poem, "The Bivouac of the Dead," is supposed to have been written by this author while in the Mexican War. After the great battle of Buena Vista, which practically closed the war, the dead had been collected, embalmed, and made ready for shipment to America, and while watching over these dead the vision of "The Bivouac of the Dead" filled the young lieutenant's mind and he gave forth to the world an elegiac poem that most critics concede surpasses even the re- nowned Gray's "Elegy." The following stanzas appear along the driveway of this cemetery :
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat The soldiers' last tattoo; No more on life's parade shall meet The brave and daring few.
On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread : And glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead.
No answer of the foe's advance Now swells upon the wind, No troubled thoughts at midnight haunts Of loved ones left behind.
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No vision of the morrow's strife The warrior's dream alarms ; No braying horn nor screaming fife .At dawn shall call to arms.
The neighing steed, the flashing blade, The trumpet's stirring blast : The charge, the dreadful cannonade, The din and shout are past.
Sons of our consecrated ground, Ye must not slumber there, Where strangers' steps and tongues resound Along the heedless air.
Your own proud land's heroic soil Shall be your fitter grave ; She claims from war her richest spoil- The ashes of the brave.
Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead, Deár as the blood ye gave : No impious footstep here shall tread The herbage of your grave.
Nor shall your glory be forgot While fame her record keeps, If honor points the hallowed spot Where valor proudly sleeps.
Nor wreck nor change nor winter's blight Nor time's remorseless doom, Shall dim the ray of holy light That gilds your glorious tomb.
CAMPBELL CAMP-CONFEDERATE ORGANIZATION.
Campbell Camp No. 488, United Confederate Veterans of Springfield, Missouri, was organized March 4, 1894, with forty-one charter members. The first commander was F. C. Roberts. Other officers elected at the time of organization were as follows: First lieut., D. B. Berry : second lieut., X. Hawkins: third lieut .. T. J. White; adjutant, N. B. Hogan ; quartermaster, William Shultz: surgeon, Dr. W. F. Toombs; assistant surgeon. Dr. E. A.
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Roberts ; chaplain, Rev. H. B. Bowd: officer of the day, J. M. Wilson ; com- missary, T. H. Cox; vidette, J. C. Gardner; color bearer, J. E. Elliott ; treasurer, J. H. Witt.
One hundred seventy-two ex-soldiers have been mustered since the organization. Eighty-four have died. thirty-five have removed, twenty-one dropped out, and thirty-two remain as active members. This camp being the only one in the surrounding counties. a number have become identified with the camp who live some distance from Springfield. The regular attendance of the camp has not been large, so that a comparatively small number have administered the affairs of the organization. A number of the prominent men of Springfield and Greene county have been and are now identified with the camp and have been factors in the political and civic life. R. N. Snod- grass is the present commander.
The Daughters of the Confederacy have been a strong support in the maintenance of the organization, and without their loyalty to the aged veterans the work of the camp could not have been sustained.
The Sons of Veterans also have proven a valuable support to the camp. These Sons of Veterans have been made honorary members of the camp and are permitted to meet with and participate in the business. This composite organization deserved great praise in securing a burial place for the Con- federate dead. They were wise in selecting a place adjacent to the National Federal cemetery, for they were enabled not only to avail themselves of the fence along one side of their lot but also finally to facilitate the transfer to the United States, so that its nearness enabled both cemeteries to be cared for by the same superintendent. The camp also rendered valiant service in securing the handsome monument, which as a work of art. is unsurpassed in the Southwest.
The Confederate veterans after their return from the war took up their place in the community. desirous to provide a livelihood for themselves and those dependent upon them, and sought to perform the duties of citizenship. They did not exhibit a factious spirit but were disposed to recognize the re- sults of the war. They did put forward the modest claim that they "were not licked but simply overcome by superior numbers." These men are num- bered among our best citizens. The mingling together of the ex-soldiers of the North and South has been an interesting feature. A\ friendly tolerance has been manifested by both and little friction has been observed. In some cases warm and firm friendship has grown up between the veterans of the two armies. The younger men and women have been more inclined to keep alive the war spirit than the veterans themselves. Three score and ten years has enfeebled the limbs of the Confederate veterans and now but few re- main. Of the one hundred and seventy-two at the beginning of the camp. eighty-five have been mustered out, while those who remain are growing
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weary of the march and their warfare must soon end. It is a matter of regret that quite a number of these Confederate veterans are possessed of little of this world's goods.
Stepping out of the business rush for four years, it is difficult to again compete with those who had an established business and an increasing in- come. The four years of service was not the full measure of their sacrifice, but their whole future life in its necessary limitations must still add to the offering they made. Unlike the soldier of the North they have not had their efforts supplemented by a liberal pension to bring some added comforts in their declining years. "Tis true the state furnishies a home for dependent soldiers, but a soldier goes to a home as the last resort. It requires more than food and drink to make a home.
CONFEDERATE CEMETERY.
The establishment of the Confederate cemetery was born of necessity. Many soldiers fell in battle in and around Springfield and in Greene county, while many others died from wounds and sickness. In the battle of Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861, two hundred and seventy-five Confederates were killed; and in the battle of Springfield, January 8, 1863, about three hundred more fell in battle, while the list of wounded in both battles was large. Most of the dead in these two battles were buried on the field in a hasty manner. The Confederates in the Springfield battle left their dead on the field and they were buried by the Federals in shallow trenches and within four years after when the city began to make improvements in the streets and construct foundations for houses, many of these dead bodies were exposed and it be- canie a matter of humanity and sanitation that all these bodies should be disin- terred and removed to some suitable place for permanent interment. It was then that Confederate friends, moved by sympathy and humanity, started a movement to secure a permanent burial place in which not only those who fell in Springfield, but also on Wilson's Creek battlefield might find a permanent resting place. Those who took the active leadership in this movement were Capt. George M. Jones, Benjamin U. Massey, Rev. W. J. Haydon and C. K. Dyer. These men led a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a plat of ground to which the removal of these dead might be made at once. At this first organization three hundred dollars was secured and a tract of three and eighty-six hundredths acres of land was secured immediately south and adjacent to the National cemetery. The land was purchased from Martha E. Powell, in March, 1870, for a consideration of one hundred and sixty dollars and the removal of the dead began at once. At a cost of two thou- sand five hundred dollars the bodies of five hundred were buried on the new grounds. Two hundred and sixty were removed from Springfield and two
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hundred and forty from Wilson's creek. The first annual decoration of these graves was held in June, 1870. It was a notable occasion and was at- tended by a large number from Springfield and the surrounding country.
Colonel Musser was the orator of the day and Capt. George M. Jones was the presiding officer of the occasion. President Jones in calling the as- sembly to order made these suggestive remarks: "These grounds were selected because of the appropriateness of the place. On the south is the citizens' cemetery, while on the north lie those who died for the flag that floats over them. May not the living, who come here annually for the pur- pose of paying tribute to either, learn a lesson from the profound peace that reigns supreme. In close proximity lie the dead of both armies-a large number who met each other face to face at Wilson's Creek and Springfield, and from this vast army comes no jarring discord to mar the harmony of the scene."
From the beginning it had been the dream of the Confederate Associa- tion that a substantial stone fence should surround these chosen grounds and that an appropriate monument should tower above the graves of their be- loved dead. But this would require a great effort and a large sum of money, and as Springfield had already contributed largely, it was thought wise to transfer the grounds to the State Confederate Association and thus by a united effort complete the work at an early day. Accordingly in 1882 the care and keeping was committed to the State. Association and this larger body pledged itself to take up the work and push it to a final conclusion. Five thousand dollars was pledged for a substantial and ornate fence around the land. The association availed itself of the south wall of the National ceme- tery and thus saved the expense of that part of the wall. Courtesy was granted by the government and the universal consent of the public. The total cost of the fence was six thousand dollars. In 1887, the association proceeded to raise the fund for the monument which had been long contem- plated.
THE CONFEDERATE MONUMENT.
The estimated cost was ten thousand dollars. After seven thousand dollars had been secured, the Daughters of the Confederate Camp contributed the sum of five thousand dollars; this handsome gift lifted the sum to twelve thousand dollars and this was the final cost of the monument.
In 1901 the cemetery and monument were dedicated amid the rejoicing of the association and the public at large. As a work of art this monument perhaps surpasses anything along this line in the Southwest. The pedestal is substantial and symmetrical. surmounted by a posing figure eleven feet high, representing a private soldier panoplied for war. The monument can be seen from the surrounding cemeteries and invites the visitor to stop and
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ponder. The numerous superinscriptions on the base represent war-time sentiment. The promoters of this complete and up-to-date cemetery are de- serving of much praise, and nothing short of comradeship and personal loss of loved ones could have called forth sufficient effort to accomplish this enter- prise. As the years passed the care and keep of the cemetery became a heavy charge to those near the place, and there arose a feeling that when the im- mediate friends and near relatives should pass away, there might come a time when proper care and attention might fail. A passing incident gave vocal expression to this fear.
After the close of the Spanish war, President Mckinley was invited to visit Atlanta, Georgia, and in his public address he gave utterance to these unexpected words : "I believe the time will come when the care of the soldier cemeteries, both North and South, will be assumed by the National govern- ment." This sentiment electrified the south and perhaps no public utterance has had a stronger tendency to draw together the whole American people and help heal the wounds of the Civil war. This magnanimous sentiment expressed by the President brought to the minds of the Confederate Asso- ciation the proposition of turning over to the government the care of this cemetery. While this proposition at first shocked the minds of some, who felt that in some degree it was a step toward the abandonment of a sacred duty they had assumed toward their dead, yet wiser minds pointed out the fact that the government could really take better care of their dead than they themselves. In 1907 the deed of transfer was made to the United States, with a pledge on their part that the government would properly care for the place and put it under the supervision of the superintendent of the National cemetery. Senator Warner and Congressman Hamlin aided in the transfer.
In 1911 the transfer was completed and after some delay a gateway was cut in the wall, thus connecting the two burial places. The following bill was passed by the government : "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Confederate cemetery near Springfield, Missouri, and which adjoins the National cemetery of that place, having been tendered by proper authority to the United States government, the same is hereby accepted, under the con- ditions that the government shall take care of and properly maintain and pre- serve the cemetery, its monument or monuments, headstones and other marks of graves, its walls, gates and appurtenances, to preserve and keep a record, as far as possible. of the names of those buried therein, with such history of each as can be obtained and to see that it is never used for any other purpose than as a cemetery for the graves of men who were in the military or naval service of the Confederate states of America.
"Provided, that organized bodies of ex-Confederates or individuals shall have free and unrestricted entry to said cemetery for the purposes of bury-
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ing worthy ex-Confederates, for decorating the graves, and for other pur- poses which they have heretofore enjoyed, all under proper supervisions, regulations and restrictions made by the Secretary of War.
"Section 2. That the Secretary of War, under this act, is directed to take necessary steps for the proper transfer of the cemetery to the govern- ment and when the same has been duly completed, to put it in charge of the keeper of the National cemetery of Springfield. Missouri; requiring him to exercise the same care in the preservation, beautifying and care-taking gen- erally done in regard to the National cemetery.
"Also that a suitable gate or entry-way be made in the stone wall that now divides the two cemeteries, so that persons may readily pass from one to the other. Should additional funds be required to carry out the pro- visions of this act, they may be paid out of any funds available for main- tenance of National cemeteries."
The deed of transfer was dated June 21, 1911. The cemetery is now under the management of the government and the work of improvemnt and care is eminently satisfactory. The speaker's stand has been repaired and painted, the head-stones have been cleaned and the general appearance much improved.
There are five hundred and sixty Confederate graves duly marked and a record kept of those recently buried. All records of former associations are preserved in the safe of the superintendent. The highway from the city to these grounds is maintained by the government. Autos find this splendid driveway a pleasant road to travel and the cemeteries greet numerous visitors daily. The three cemeteries adjacent to each other constitute a veritable city of the dead with a population of seven thousand two hundred.
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
A movement to establish a Young Men's Christian Association in Springfield was begun in March, 1888, and the organization was effected in June of that year. W. A. Brubaker was called as general secretary, and in September, E. E. Spangler was secured for the position of physical director. A suitable location was rented on College street, equipped with reading room, small gymnasium and shower baths. Mr. Brubaker served about four years as general secretary, and was succeeded by William McCaskill, of Columbus, Mississippi. The latter resigned after two months' service, and was succeeded by L. E. Buell, a former assistant secretary of the Madison street department of the Chicago association. Mr. Buell was succeeded by James H. Banks, who is now secretary of the Missouri State Young Men's Christian Association.
Immediately after the state convention of this association, in 1899,
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which was held in Springfieldl. a financial canvass looking forward to a new association building was begun. In May, 1900, special effort was made to quicken the efforts and stimulate the interest in the movement for a new building and soon the sum of seven thousand dollars was raised. The con- tract price for the new buikling, without locker furnishing, was twenty-one thousand dollars. The building was located at the southwest corner of St. Louis and Jefferson streets. The building was an attractive and substantial brick and well arranged in every way for the purposes intended. It has a large gymnasium, an auditorium, with seating capacity of five hundred, and twenty-seven sleeping rooms for rental purposes. This building was the first to be owned by the association, and was greatly appreciated by the members after they had spent some twelve years in the cramined quarters on College street. But the association was not destined to long enjoy their elegant new quarters, for the building was destroyed by fire about ten years later.
The association was practically without a home for about two years. A campaign was begun toward securing funds for a new building. Citizens of Springfield responded liberally. The money thus raised was added to the amount of the insurance and that obtained from the sale of the lot occupied by the burned building. Valuable property was purchased on South Jeffer- son street, and in March, 1913, work on the new building was begun, and was completed in September, of that year, at a cost of a total investment of eighty thousand dollars. It is modern, attractive, substantial and one of the finest buildings of its kind in any city the size of Springfield. It is four stories with basement, with.seventy-one well-furnished sleeping rooms, a large gym- nasium with all modern apparatus, an ample swimming pool, shower baths on each floor, a neat auditorium with a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty, scores of lockers, a barber shop and a cafe in the basement, and two splendid tennis courts in the rear. The reading room is well supplied with all current literature.
The new building was occupied in September, 1913. The present mem- bership is thirteen hundred, which is the third largest in the state.
The present secretary of the local association is George G. Helde, who has held this position about one year.
YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
The spring of 1908 saw the beginning in Springfield of the Young Women's Christian Association, an institution which has for the past seven years filled a great need in the life of the stranger girl in our city.
The association was organized by Mary McElroy, at that time execu-
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