USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > The story of Camp Chase; a history of the prison and its cemetery, together with other cemeteries where Confederate prisoners are buried, etc > Part 6
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The responses, some of which are quoted, tell eloquently of .national rejuvenation, for which the people of Columbus are profoundly grateful, since they have so earnestly promoted the new era of fellowship between the sections.
Gov. Joseph D. Sayres, of Texas, wrote :
The intelligence conveyed in your telegram of this date is in- deed gratifying. Such action cannot fail to receive the sincere: and hearty approbation of every true American. I wish that I. could be present to participate.
Gov. J. Hoge Tyler, of Virginia :
The occasion mentioned in your telegram is of special interest: to me, because of loved ones resting beneath the sod at Camp Chase.
May the fragrance and sweetness of flowers from Union and. Confederate hands be a token of that love and friendship which. now unites our country !
Gov. A. D. Candler, of Georgia :
It is to me a beautiful sentiment which prompts the action of those who wore the blue and those who wore the gray in the- work of doing honor to their dead comrades who fought on both sides in the fratricidal conflict from 1861 to 1865. I have said- and I have been criticised for saying-that, next to my brother Confederate soldier who fought for his convictions, I have the greatest admiration for the good Federal soldier who fought for his convictions ; and it speaks well for our civilization and well for our glorious Union that those arrayed in deadly conflict a generation ago can now unite as a band of brothers in doing
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CAMP CHASE IN 1900.
honor to the memory of their dead comrades, without regard to the flag under which they fought.
As an American citizen, proud of the country in which he lives, I am thankful that I have lived long enough to see the asperities of that sanguinary conflict largely disappear, and I feel confident that in less than another generation they will have entirely disappeared from the minds and hearts of all unbiased and intelligent men. Each side had convictions and each side was brave enough to fight for its convictions. That is the whole case in a sentence.
With love for my old comrades who wore the gray, and the highest admiration and esteem for the men who wore the blue.
Gov. J. F. Johnston, of Alabama :
Every flower laid on the graves of our dead soldiers, sleeping so far from their homes and loved ones, by the gallant comrades of the Grand Army and by the Confederate Veterans, fellow-citizens of the North, will be fragrant in our memories for years to come:
Such acts show that the American soldiers are the bravest and gentlest in all the world.
Gov. Daniel W. Jones, of Arkansas :
I congratulate the veterans of the Civil War, and the nation, upon the state of feeling which makes it possible to witness the decoration of Confederate graves by veterans of both sides, as I am informed is to be done in your city to-morrow.
Gov. Daniel L. Russell, of North Carolina :
Your communication, conveying to me the pleasant intelligence that the Federal and Confederate veterans of your city will unite this year to adorn the graves of the Confederate dead who sleep at Camp Chase, is gratifying to me.
It indicates that the unpleasant sentiments which so long and so disastrously divided our country are passing away, and that we are to have not only a union under our Constitution and laws, but also a reunited people, exhibiting a willingness to forget the past and determined to unite in securing the future good gov- ernment and glory of our common country.
Please convey to the veterans, Confederate and Federal, my ap- preciation of their generous and patriotic behavior, and allow me to express the hope that the time may not be distant when the last vestige of passion that accompanied and followed the struggle. which threatened the destruction of the republic shall have passed away and have been entirely forgotten.
.. The sentiments expressed by these distinguished gentlemen are treasured in the hearts of those who took part in the service. at Camp Chase, not only that year, but the preceding years when there were few to do honor to these sons of the South at rest upon Ohio soil.
CHAPTER VI.
THE MEMORIAL OF 1901.
Arm in Arm the Men of the South and North Marched into the Cemetery Where Sleep the Dead of Camp Chase Prison-Commander Shields, of the Confederate Camp, and Commander Grim, of McCoy Post, G. A. R., Leading the Way-Children of Avondale School Sing-Rev. John Hewitt Delivers an Address-Hon. Emmet Tompkins, Then Repub- lican Member of Congress, Delivers an Oration-Remarks by Rev. How- ard Henderson, Ex-Confederate-Captain Rogers, an Ex-Confederate, Places Southern Flowers on Graves of the Union and Confederate Sol- diers.
THE services of 1901 were successfully carried out, nothwith- standing the fact that at a late hour changes in the matter of transportation from Columbus were made that required prompt action. The arrangements made with the Columbus, London, and Springfield Interurban Line to use a locomotive to haul the peo- ple who proposed to attend had to be canceled at the moment, owing to the possibility that it might endanger the company's franchise to use a locomotive. The nearest approach by rail at that time was the Camp Chase terminus of the West Broad Street Line, and from that point to the cemetery was about three- quarters of a mile. As hurriedly as possible cars were secured and great crowds filled them as fast as they came. Carriages and omnibuses were ordered posthaste for the school children and invited guests. The people of Columbus and near-by towns. walked from the end of the street car line to the cemetery, and the crowd was the largest that had thus far attended the exercises.
The veterans of McCoy Post, G. A. R., and the ex-Confederates in attendance, together with the school children, formed outside the grounds, and arm in arm the Southern and Northern men marched to the platform, where, side by side, sat T. P. Shields, Commander of Confederate Camp No. 1181, of Columbus, and John Grim, Commander of J. C. McCoy Post No. I, G. A. R.
Again the children of Avondale School, under the direction of their teacher, Miss Osgood, daughter of a Union soldier, sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," while Commanders Grim and
-
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THE MEMORIAL OF 1901.
Shields drew the starry banner to its place upon the tall flagstaff that I erected in the cemetery. A burst of cheers greeted our national flag as it floated in the breeze, waving joyously as though instinctive with knowledge that old-time foes were united in making it the emblem of one country and for one people.
Rev. John Hewitt delivered an address that was listened to
1
REV. JOHN HEWITT.
with deep appreciation. The name of this gentleman and South- ern soldier appears quite frequently in this story, and it is unneces- sary to repeat to the reader again who he is. When the Fourth Ohio Infantry returned from Porto Rico at the close of hostili- ties, he was made Chaplain ; so much for the peace and harmony demonstrated since the men of Camp Chase prison went to their sad and lonely rest. Dr. Hewitt concluded his address by saying :
They are no longer prisoners of war. If they could know all that has happened since they died, and see what we see to-day, I
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THE STORY OF CAMP CHASE.
venture to believe that they would think and feel about what we are doing to-day as we ourselves do-would think and feel about the flag as we do. And hence it cannot be as some have hinted- that it was an offense to their memory to raise that flag where they now sleep. It seems fitting, therefore, that such who recall the conflict that proved them the bravest of brave soldiers and. learned to respect them for valorous deeds when living should. gather about their graves when dead and join in ceremonies such as these in testimony of the fact that they won this respect- worth the winning, worth remembering, and worth being kept. alive.
You Ohio comrades of the Blue will not deny that when we. laid down our arms and again raised the Stars and Stripes over the capitols of our Confederate States, by those acts the nation began to grow stronger and the flag to take on greater glory.
The Hon. Emmet Tompkins, Republican Member of Congress from the Columbus district at the time, delivered an oration, in which he said :
Friends and fellow-citizens, we are assembled to-day for the purpose of laying flowers on the graves of dead Americans. The children have come with their beaming faces and clothed in bright. summer garments to sing with sweet and innocent voices songs of praise and patriotism. Among you I behold men crowned with the frost of time and even bent with the weight of years. It seems to me that all the stages and all the walks of active life have here their representatives, mingled as they are into a har- monious whole, while over all, stretched by a friendly breeze, floats the flag of our nation-the Star-Spangled Banner. The. scene is novel and affecting to me because these dead Americans gave up their lives for their convictions, and one might well won- der that at the capital of the great State of Ohio there would ever assemble such a body as this to perform the simple and tender acts of to-day.
But during the long stretch of years since the Confederacy dissolved wondrous changes have been wrought and many wounds have been healed by the touch of time. I am not here for the purpose of paying tribute to or manifesting concurrence in that war which dug these graves. But I am here for the purpose of indicating my willingness to adopt the admonition of General Grant when he said, "Let us have peace !" and to bury in these graves along with the bones of soldiers the animosities which for four dreadful years held the North and the South in their deadly grasp.
To the Confederates who accept the results of that war and now join in devotion to the Union I give the right hand of fel- lowship; to those of them who still linger amid the ashes and.
AMERICANS
=
--
₩2260
*CONFEDERATE
NESOLDIERS OF THE WAR 1861 - 12%
BURIED IN THIS ENCLOSURE
A GROUP OF SOUTHERN MEMBERS OF THE WOODMEN OF THE WORLD AT CAMP CHASE CEMETERY, 1901.
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THE STORY OF CAMP CHASE.
nourish in their bosoms the bitterness of the past I can only ex- press the hope that they will ere long realize how vain all such thoughts are and how far better it is to dwell together in peace and harmony.
To the words of General Grant, already quoted, "Let us have peace !" we add the sentiment of President Mckinley. when he expressed the wish that the government would take charge of and care for the final resting places of Confederate soldiers. Both these are the manifestations of the spirit of forgetfulness, and they lead to the high plane of universal brotherhood among all Americans. If we imbibe this spirit, then will this nation reach the full orb of its possible greatness.
The late war with Spain has done much to close the breach
, between the North and the South. Upon the land and upon the seas the sons of the North mingled their blood with that of the sons of the South, and the two made a common and a glorious sacrifice. It was an inspiring spectacle to behold the heroic youth of the land of flowers marching by the side of the youth of the land of the snow-each wearing the blue, each keeping step to the "Star- Spangled Banner," and each lifting his cap to the emblem of lib- erty and equality. Earnest and patriotic men find much hope in that spectacle.
To-day we are in the presence of the dead. The edge of the grave is no place for bitterness. Let us be just and concede that these dead while in life believed they were engaged in a righteous cause. Let us acknowledge that they were courageous adversaries. The uncounted heaps of earth dotting this fair land bear witness to these facts. Let us hope that from these graves the settled conviction may be drawn that it is all in vain to attempt the dissolution of this Union, and that the God of bat- tles directs the armies of the nation. From these ceremonies may we catch increased inspiration to move forward in the great mis- sion allotted to the American people, and may the century just dawning to be filled with peace and happiness and the uplifting of mankind everywhere throughout the universal earth !
Rev. Howard A. M. Henderson, an officer in the Confederate service and special commissioner of exchange, delivered an ad- dress, in which he said, in alluding to the Union soldier who began these services, that "his acts, even more than the lapse of years. did that which went to wipe out the bitterness between sections."
Gen. J. A. Arnold, of Kentucky, was again present and spoke briefly in renewed appreciation.
After the services were over several incidents occurred worthy to be related. A battle-scarred veteran of the North, approaching General Henderson, recalled that the General had exchanged him
·
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THE MEMORIAL OF 1901.
out of Libby Prison. The General, of course, did not remember the man personally.
An old lady, three of whose sons had given their lives for the Confederacy and one of whom slept in the shade of the inclosure, sat on the platform and witnessed the tributes to his memory.
Dr. T. P. Shields, who met at a reunion in Memphis, Tenn., his old comrade, Col. D. B. Baldwin, of Virginia, prevailed upon him to attend these exercises, and he introduced him, stating that they met as strangers in Memphis and the fact developed that the Colonel was from the Doctor's old home in Virginia. The ac- quaintance was brought about in this way :
The Doctor asked the Colonel: "Do you know D. B. Baldwin there ?"
"That's my name," was the answer.
The Doctor then recognized him, and demanded: "Don't you know me?"
But the old comrade could not see through the veil that the years had hung, and Dr. Shields had to reveal his identity.
The Columbus Dispatch relates how Mr. W. T. Rogers, of Chattanooga, accompanied by his beautiful daughter, came to Co- lumbus with flowers sent by the N. B. Forrest Camp No. 4, U. C. V., and arrived too late for the decoration services. However, the following day the flowers were divided and some of them. were placed by Miss Rogers on the graves in the. Confederate Cemetery and the rest were taken by Captain Rogers to Green Lawn Cemetery and laid at the base of the monument raised to the memory of the brave men in blue who have obeyed the last signal.
CHAPTER VII.
THE MONUMENT UNVEILED-1902.
What Southern Writers Who Were Present Said about the Occasion- The Chairman Tells Who Helped so Liberally with the Arch-The Oration of Governor Nash-The Reply of Judge D. E. Johnston, of West Virginia -- The Speech of Judge D. F. Pugh-Captain Dinkins, of New Orleans, Delivers an Eloquent Speech-The Story of the Colored Men-Letter from Mrs. Randolph-Invitation to Go to Nashville-The Monument Turned Over to the Ex-Confederates-Happy Ending of the Author's Work at Camp Chase.
THE memorial arch, an enduring monument to the memory of these Southern Americans, had been completed and the day for its unveiling was at hand.
The Columbus Dispatch of April 13, 1902, said of it :
The arch which will be unveiled June 7 will be the first to be constructed by Northern people to mark the final resting places .of Confederates who fought bravely for their convictions.
Colonel Knauss's idea is to have an arch that will be an ever- lasting monument to designate the location of the graves. It will be situated seventy-five feet from the entrance to the grounds, which fronts on Sullivan Avenue. As shown in the cut, the me- morial will arch the large bowlder which for many years was famous as the only headstone for the two thousand two hunded and sixty bodies buried within the inclosure. Several years ago Colonel Knauss had a wooden arch placed over the bowlder, and on it was painted "Americans."
The bowlder referred to above is seven feet in diameter and weighs approximately sixteen tons. It extends seven and one- half feet above the ground and several feet below the surface. From the top of the bowlder to the bottom of the keystone it is over eight feet. On top of the keystone of the arch is the statue of a Confederate private soldier in gray bronze. On each side of the arch there are large flower urns which set off the masonry in a very pleasing manner.
There was great disappointment by the citizens of Columbus that Gen. J. B. Gordon could not be present to receive the monu- inent, but his place was ably filled by that eloquent Southern gen- tleman, Hon. David E. Johnston, Member of Congress from West
.
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THE MONUMENT UNVEILED-1902.
Virginia, and the ceremonies of the day were a source of pleasure to many people throughout the broad land.
If we dwell upon the incidents of that day, if the orations are considered at greater length, the reader will realize that the work of years was near the end ; and one cannot refrain from dwelling in the happiness of realized hopes.
To those of us who bore a part in the war of the sixties the afternoon of life is well on. It will not be long until "taps" sound, and it is natural, therefore, that when memory leads us out where we see the panorama of the past we look first at the morning view, where are charging squadrons and smoking can- non and dying men. Then we turn away to a scene far different -a graveyard, low-lying mounds, bands playing softly, men who had charged upon each other with bayonets red-stained standing side by side with uncovered heads, placing flowers on the graves of the lonely dead. This last is the picture of our afternoon, and we love to linger over this event of 1902. If the first simple, unheralded service was creditable, then in this event modesty gave way to pride, and he who tells it gloried in the day.
There is a Camp of Confederate Veterans in Columbus named for the immortal Lee, and no one protests ; there is a Chapter of United Daughters of Confederacy who wear tri-colored rib- bons, and no one shudders. These organizations are ready to take up the work and care for the graves of their dead.
It is well that others tell the story of that day, and it is not necessary to draw exclusively upon home journals for the details. From Southern periodicals and papers we can learn all that is necessary to prove that the Southerner, who loves his friend as few people love and hates his enemies with unconcealed intensity. has overpraised the work done at Camp Chase. At the same time, the recipient of this praise cannot help but appreciate the kindly words and own that deep in his heart he is prouder of them than he can tell.
A Huntington (W. Va:) paper says :
The exercise incident to the unveiling of the arch erected at Camp Chase to the memory of Confederate soldiers buried there were simple, but beautifully impressive.
Within the graveyard, which is surrounded by a stone wall, more than twenty-two hundred Confederates are buried, and this inclosure is all that visibly remains of the once terrifying prison camp. For a number of years Col. W. H. Knauss, a Union vet- eran residing at Columbus, has taken care of the ground and an- nually decorated the graves. He was almost mortally wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg and carries in his face a conspicu- ous scar of battle.
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THE STORY OF CAMP CHASE.
The war has long been over to the gentleman whom General Gordon was pleased to designate as the "golden-hearted Knauss," who honors the Confederate dead as his countrymen.
The memorial is a stone arch surmounted by the bronze figure of a Confederate soldier looking toward the South, and is a hand- some tribute. In the smooth surface of the keystone appears the
MRS. J. H. WINDER, of the U. D. C., who, with Mrs. John T. Gamble, assisted in unveiling the arch and statue.
word "Americans." A profusion of flowers from different sec- tions of the South were distributed on the graves, which were also ornamented by small flags. The ceremonies were conducted by Col. Knauss and consisted of songs, martial music, and addresses. The vocal music was delightfully rendered by a chorus of young ladies from the Columbus schools. Among the speakers were Judge Pugh, Governor Nash, and Col. Kilbourne. Nothing oc- curred to mar the harmony and sympathetic good feeling man-
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THE MONUMENT UNVEILED-1902.
ifested by the assembled thousands. Gen. John B. Gordon was on the programme to accept the monument on behalf of the South, but in his absence Judge David E. Johnston, of West Virginia, made a short impromptu address of acceptance. His words were from the heart, however, and thrilled the audience with their earnest and felicitous simplicity.
MRS. JOHN T. GAMTIE.
Grasping the hand of Colonel Knauss at its conclusion, he led that fine old soldier to the front of the stage and in loving and impassioned words told how now and forever hereafter the peo- ple of the South would cherish and revere his memory.
This was the most charming and affecting incident of the day, and was immediately followed by the hymn, "Asleep in Jesus," led by Mrs. Winder. The services were marked by a feeling as spontaneous as though the dead of yesterday were being buried. The whole affair was a unique expression of a reunited 5
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THE STORY OF CAMP CHASE.
country from which the last vestige of sectionalism is swiftly passing.
Mr. J. A: Allen of the Cynthiana (Ky.) Democrat, wrote of the event :
If Col. W. H. Knauss, of Columbus, Ohio, had not already established a strong hold on the hearts and affections of the Southern people, the unveiling of the statue and arch at the Camp Chase Cemetery would have settled the matter. For years past we have been reading of Colonel Knauss and his patriotic and unselfish care of the graves of the Confederate dead near the site of the old prison, and the services Saturday furnished an op- portunity for the Democrat's representative to be on the ground and see for himself.
The crowd at Camp Chase, viewed from its proper standpoint in the conferring of honor upon alien dead in a territory whose people were hostile to the principles for which men fought and fell, was most impressive. Thousands of persons gathered witli- in the gray stone walls inclosing the dust of the "Flowers of the South." It presaged that not impossible day when the Blue and the Gray will be honored alike, North and South; and, as a Co- lumbus paper put it, there will be mingled "love and tears for the Blue, tears and love for the Gray."
The ceremonies were simple. Colonel Knauss, the father of the movement, acted as master of ceremonies, and from the stand which had been erected to the east of the arch explained briefly his connection with the work and introduced the different people on the programme, which follows:
Assembly bugler, D. McCandlish, ex-Federal; "Star-Spangled Banner," Normal School; prayer, Rev. John Hewitt, ex-Confed- erate; music by Fourth Regiment Band; unveiling address, Hon. D. F. Hugh, ex-Federal; "America," Fourth Regiment Band; address of presentation, Gov. George K. Nash, ex-Federal ; ad- dress of acceptance, Judge D. E. Johnston, ex-Confederate ; song, "Lead, Kindly Light," Normal School; address, Dr. Darlington Snyder ; song, "Asleep in Jesus;" address, Capt. James Dinkins, ex-Confederate; poem, Mrs. Thomas Worcester, U. D. C. of Cincinnati; music, "Dixie." Fourth Regiment Band; address, Marcus B. Toney, ex-Confederate ; music, "Nearer, My God, to Thee," Normal School; firing salute, details from three compa- nies, Fourth Regiment, O. N. G., Capt. A. C. Reynolds ; strew- ing flowers by the Daughters of the Confederacy and ladies of the U. V. L. and G. A. R. ; taps by D. McCandlish, ex-Federal ; Visitors' Escort. Ex-Federal Soldiers' Drum Corps, Gus Johns.
Of the decoration attractions, it is noted that in the arch hung four baskets of living vines and a large floral piece sent by the Robert E. Lee Chapter. United Daughters of the Confederacy, in Columbus. A circular bed of geraniums in bloom was planted in
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THE MONUMENT UNVEILED-1902.
front of the arch, and on each side were almost numberless boxes and baskets of flowers sent from the South. The speakers' stand was also lavishly ornamented with wreaths and other de- signs. From all of the trees and shrubs within the cemetery inclosure depended strings of the famous gray moss that is pecul- iar to the Southland.
No tribute is too splendid to pay this noble ex-Federal soldier for the work he has done at Camp Chase for the people of the South. One who has not been on the ground and talked with Colonel Knauss can have no idea of the obstacles which have confronted him and the obstructions that have been thrown in his way. But with a stout heart and a courage that marked his career at the front till "shot out of service at Fredericksburg," he has bravely, dauntlessly marched on and on until this latest splendid achievement is placed to his eternal credit in the hearts of the South and of every man everywhere who has a spark of patriotic pride and tenderness in his soul. Col. Knauss's work has required a strong moral courage united with an enduring physical strength.
In the Jackson (Miss.) Evening News Clay Sharkley writes :
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