National Cemeteries

[pheaur]

Does anyone know of any other national cemetery, other than the New Albany National Cemetery, New Albany, Indiana, that used foot-stones rather head-stones during or after the Civil War?

[pheaur]

Re: National Cemeteries

I forgot to add my name to this thread.

Christopher Warfel

[Dignann]

Re: National Cemeteries

Christopher,

Do you have any photos of the stones? There is a wide variety of different markers used in Civil War-era national cemeteries.

Eric

[Mrs. Buttrick]

Re: National Cemeteries

The primary National Cemetery in Wisconsin is Wood National Cemetery, founded in 1871 as the Home Cemetery for the Northwestern Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. It wasn't transferred to the National Cemetery Administration until 1973. It has close to 6,000 Civil War markers, all upright. Prior to 1871, the Home used Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery for those who had no other option or who chose this distinquished burial site.

Sections of Forest Home are considered National Cemetery and have headstones. Until recently some in the less desirable part of the cemetery were unmarked. One section remains unmoored from federal care: graves from the original Wisconsin Soldiers' Home, 1864-1867, and the first burials of the National Home, 1867-1869. Samples attached. We're still trying to figure out when stones were placed and by whom. McCoy marker seems much later. Dimick marker was probably purchased by the Lady Managers of the Wisconsin Soldiers' Home. Forest Home Cemetery turned down the National Cemetery's request for annexation in the 1950s and instead accepted payment for perpetual care.

[bodark]

Re: National Cemeteries

Hello, I may be asking a naive question here, but are you writing about the footstones proposed by Quartermaster General Meigs in 1866?

[DJCasey]

Re: National Cemeteries

They used the footstones at Gettysburg.

[pheaur]

Re: National Cemeteries

All the markers in the cemetery are up-rights. The cemetery was established in
December 1862(?). All markers, old and new, are listed as foot-stones. I'm assuming that the marble markers were used in the 1880s or 1890. However, I'm not really sure when. These markers are still in place today. Most markers have the soldiers name and state. I'm aslo guessing that the markers used in the 1880s or 1890s replaced whatever markers that had been used prior to this time. I'm trying to find out why the markers were placed at the foot of the individual and not at the head. I always believed that the markers were placed at the head of the grave. I'm wondering how many other cemeteries, from that time period, used the same idea. Did General Meigs issue an order for such burials? Does this method date to the time of the Civil War or after? Is it possible that the original markers were placed at the head and then switched sometime at a later date? Would appreciate any information.

Christopher Warfel

[Dignann]

Re: National Cemeteries

Christopher,

A couple of on-line resources are:

History of Government Furnished Headstones and Markers

Edward Steere, "Shrines of the Honored Dead: A Study of the National Cemetery System" in The Quartermaster Review (1953-1954)

For your specific questions, I suggest going straight to the source. Try contacting the New Albany National Cemetery.

Eric

[bodark]

Re: National Cemeteries

Here's another link about headstones, but it doesn't mention footstones like the VA piece does.

http://www.archives.gov/publications...template=print

[pheaur]

Re: National Cemeteries

The information presented was very helpful. I will try to find more info on this cemetery and hopefully discover the reasoning behind the placement of the markers.

Thanks Again

Chris Warfel