This day so full of interest to the freedmen, so identified with the
name and fame of the lamented Lincoln, and so glorious in the history of
our country, was duly celebrated in Andersonville, Georgia.
If called upon to state what have been the instrumentalities at work
among this people that have led to what I think all must esteem a most
appropriate and beautiful celebration of the day, I must name as first
and most efficient the _School for Freedmen_, established here by the
American Missionary Association, in the fall of 1866, and successfully
carried on up to the present time. Its first teachers were Miss M. L.
Root, of Sheffield, Ohio, and Miss M. F. Battey, of Providence, R. I.,
who labored here for two years, with a Christian heroism, wisdom and
success that have left their names indelibly engraved upon the grateful
hearts of all those for whom they toiled. During the second year, Miss
M. C. Day, of Sheffield, Ohio, aided them, and was a worthy and
efficient co-laborer.
For reasons unknown to the writer, none of these ladies returned the
third year, but were succeeded by Miss Laura Parmelee, of Toledo, Ohio,
and Miss Amelia Johnson, of Enfield, Conn., who are carrying forward the
work so successfully inaugurated with undiminished success. The colored
people have become so impressed with the value of the school that they
are contributing to its support with increasing liberality and
enthusiasm.
As the schools for the freedmen are all suspended during the Christmas
holidays, a number of teachers and their friends, in other places, had
availed themselves of this opportunity to visit Andersonville. At a
social gathering at the "Teachers' Home" it was found that, including
the visitors, the clerks in the service of the government, and the
teachers here, there were present representatives of seven northern
States, and all were ready to unite heartily with the freedmen in the
celebration of Emancipation Day. They were Miss Russell, of Maine; Miss
Champney and Miss Stowell, of Massachusetts; Miss Johnson and Misses
Smith, of Connecticut: Mr. Pond, of Rhode Island; Mr. North, of Indiana;
Mr. Haughton, of New York; Miss Parmelee, of Ohio, and Rev. Dr. H. W.
Pierson.
The committee appointed to make arrangements for the appropriate
celebration of the day, anxious to make the fullest possible exhibition
of the loyalty of all who were to unite with them in its celebration,
determined that it should include (1st,) Services in the Freedmens'
Chapel; (2d,) The decoration of the Cemetery; and (3d,) The Salutation
of the "Dear Old Flag," at the depot.
All entered with alacrity and delight upon the work of preparation for
these services. The colored people ranged the woods to find the choicest
evergreens, and the young ladies, with willing hearts and skillful hands
wrought the most elaborate and beautiful wreaths from the Magnolia, Bay,
Holly, Cedar, and other boughs with which they were so bountifully
furnished. Songs were rehearsed, and all arrangements were duly
completed.
On New Year's morning a deeply interested audience met in the room
occupied both for school-room and chapel, and at 10 a. m., Mr. Floyd
Snelson, (colored.) President of the day, called the meeting to order,
and services were conducted as follows: (1.) Singing--"From all that
dwell below the skies." (2) Reading the Scriptures, by Miss Johnson, of
Enfield, Connecticut. (3.) Prayer, by Deacon Stickney, (colored) (4.)
Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, by Miss Parmelee, of Toledo,
Ohio. (5) Singing--"Oh, praise and thanks,"--Whittier. (6) Address by
Rev. Dr. H. W. Pierson. This programme having been carried out, the
entire audience was formed into a procession and marched to the
Cemetery, about half a mile north of us, under the direction of Mr.
Houghton, of Brooklyn, New York, Marshal of the day. That procession,
embracing so many happy Freedmen and representatives from so many
States, moving with so much order, and bearing such beautiful wreaths,
was certainly one of the most impressive and beautiful I have ever seen.
I am sure the sight would have melted tens of thousands of hearts could
they have looked upon it. Onward they marched upon their sacred mission,
singing at times most appropriate and beautiful songs: winding down the
hillside, crossing upon a single scantling the muddy stream that
furnished water for our own prisoners, passing near the rude cabin where
the blood-hounds were penned, in full view of the stockades where so
many thousands yielded up their lives, moving onward and up the gentle
elevation with slow and solemn tread, they at length reached the front
(south) entrance of the Cemetery, where the procession halted. On the
right (east) of the gate is a post and tablet in the form of a cross,
bearing this inscription: "National Cemetery, Andersonville, Georgia."
On the left (west) of the gate is a similar post and tablet, bearing
this inscription:
"On Fame's eternal camping-ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And Glory guards, with solemn round,
This bivouac of the dead."
A young lady, designated for the purpose, left the procession and hung
one of our most beautiful wreaths upon the cross above this inscription.
The gates were then thrown open, and the entire procession entered the
Cemetery. But how shall I describe the scene spread out before us as we
entered this solemn, silent city of the nation's dead? The Cemetery
contains forty-three acres, which are enclosed by a high board fence. It
is divided into four principal sections by broad avenues, running north
and south, and east and west, intersecting each other at right angles at
the center of the grounds. There is a sidewalk and row of young trees on
each side of these avenues. And then on either side of these avenues and
walks, what fields, what fields of white head-boards, stretching away in
long white parallel lines to the north and south, each with its simple
record of the name, regiment, and date of death of him who lies beneath
it. So they sleep their long sleep, lying shoulder to shoulder in their
graves as they had stood together in serried ranks on many a field of
battle.
Resuming our march, and moving up the broad avenue, with rank upon rank,
and thousands upon thousands of these solemn sentinels upon either side
of us, we find on the left (west) side of the avenue, a tablet with this
inscription:
"The hopes, the fears, the blood, the tears,
That marked the bitter strife,
Are now all crowned by victory
That saved the nation's life."
We paused, and hung a wreath above this inscription, and then moved on
to a tablet on the right (east) side of the avenue, with this
inscription:
"Whether in the prison drear,
Or in the battle's van,
The fittest place for man to die,
Is where he dies for man."
We hung a wreath here, and again our procession moved forward and halted
on the left (west) side of the avenue, at a tablet bearing the inspired
words:
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit
shall return unto God who gave it."
Here we placed another wreath, and moved onward to a tablet on the right
(east) side of the avenue, where we read--
"A thousand battle-fields have drunk
The blood of warriors brave,
And countless homes are dark and drear,
Thro' the land they died to save."
Another wreath was placed here, and we marched to the last tablet in the
north of the Cemetery, standing in the midst of a section of graves
numbering thousands, and inscribed--
"Through all rebellion's horrors
Bright shines our nation's fame,
Our gallant soldiers, perishing,
Have won a deathless name."
After hanging a wreath here, we marched to the center of the Cemetery,
and hung our last wreath upon the flag-staff from which the stars and
stripes shall ever float above those who died in its defence.
It was no place for speech. The surroundings were too solemn. Our only
other services were to unite in singing "My Native Country, Thee,"
(America,) and Rev. Dr. Pierson offered prayer. And so we decorated the
National Cemetery at Andersonville, Georgia. It was little, very little,
we did, but we could not do more, and we dared not do less. Here are the
graves of 12,848 "brave boys," who died as prisoners of war in the
stockades. Eight hundred and sixty-eight other soldiers have been
disinterred and brought here from Macon, Columbus, Eufaula, Americus,
and other places in Georgia, so that now this Cemetery numbers 13,716
graves. We could not decorate them all, and we dared not decorate those
of the States we represented, or of any particular class. We dared not
single out any for special honors. We felt that all were worthy of equal
honor from us, and from the nation they died to save. And so we
decorated the Cemetery as a whole, as best we could, and our tribute of
affection was bestowed equally upon each one of all these 13,716
hallowed graves. And most earnestly did we implore the blessing of
Almighty God to rest upon our whole country, and upon all the fathers,
mothers, sisters, brothers, widows, and orphans, whose "dead" we thus
attempted to honor.
It will gratify the relatives and friends of all those buried here, to
know that the nation is watching over their dead with pious care.
Hundreds of men have been employed in making the improvements already
mentioned, and many others I have not time to notice, and a number are
still at work. They are planting trees, making and improving walks,
placing sod upon the graves, and otherwise beautifying the grounds.
But I am detaining my readers too long from what I have already
indicated as the third and final part of our programme.
Day after day the starry banner, the banner of peace ("Let us have
Peace") is thrown to the breeze from the flag staff in front of the
office of First Lieutenant A. W. Corliss, near the Andersonville depot.
This is the most beautiful sight; indeed, almost the only beautiful
sight that greets the vision of a lover of his country here.
We wished to give expression to the warm feelings of our own hearts, and
also to make a demonstration of our loyalty and love for the flag in the
presence of the unusual concourse of people assembled at the station for
the business or pleasure of New Year's day.
Our procession was re-formed in the Cemetery, and taking the broad
avenue that has been constructed by the government from the depot, a
distance of about half a mile, we marched slowly back in the same order,
and singing beautiful songs, as when we came. A part of the way our
procession was in full view of the residents of the place, and the
visitors there. Fortunately, as we reached the depot, the passenger
train arrived from the south, and witnessed our loyal demonstrations.
Arriving at the flag-staff, the entire procession formed in a circle
around it, and sang with enthusiasm Mr. William B. Bradbury's "See the
flag, the dear old flag," with the heart-stirring chorus--
"Wave the starry banner high,
Strike our colors, never!
Here we stand to live or die,
The Stripes and Stars forever."
Mr. Snelson, the President of the day, then proposed three cheers for
the "Dear old Flag," which were given with a will. Three cheers were
then proposed for Lieutenant Corliss and others, which were given in the
same hearty manner. Other patriotic songs were then sung, and after a
brief prayer and the benediction, by Rev. Dr. Pierson, the audience
quietly dispersed.
So we celebrated Emancipation Day in Andersonville, Georgia. To all of
us who participated in it, it was a joyful day. We also hope our
services may gladden and cheer many other hearts all over our broad
land.
NOTE.--I may be mistaken in the name of the Captain who made the brief
visit to Andersonville, February 10, 1869.--See page 17. I shall regret
if I have not properly honored one whose bearing was so gallant and
gentlemanly. H. W. P.
Transcriber's Notes:
Passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_.
Additional spacing after some of the quotes is intentional to indicate
both the end of a quotation and the beginning of a new paragraph as
presented in the original text.
The following misprints have been corrected:
"aad" corrected to "and" (page 6)
"Confedearte" corrected to "Confederate" (page 6)
"immedately" corrected to "immediately" (page 14)
"Andersonvile" corrected to "Andersonville" (page 17)
"sacreligious" corrected to "sacrilegious" (page 17)
"Govvernment" corrected to "Government" (page 21)
"cherrs" corrected to "cheers" (page 28)
All other spelling is presented as in the original.
When referring to a specific county, the "c" in the word "county" has
been capitalized for standard presentation.