US Army
Quartermaster Foundation
Fort Lee, Virginia
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US Army
Quartermaster Foundation |
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"* * * We have come to
dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here
gave their lives that their Nation might live. It is altogether fitting and
proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we
cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or
detract. * * *" Little did President
Lincoln, or those to whom he spoke on that memorable November day at Gettysburg,
dream that in a little over fifty years this nation would be called upon to
dedicate in foreign lands, the final resting places of the mortal remains of a
mighty host of our warrior sons who had made the supreme sacrifice, "that
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from
the earth." Nations, throughout all
ages, have always accorded the highest honors to their military heroes and
shared for and reverenced their tombs as holy places, but it remained for this
country to develop and expand this deeply patriotic sentiment until it includes
the grave of the humblest private who has borne arms in its defense. EARLY BURIAL
CONDITIONS Conditions existing during
the earlier wars of this country made burials on the fields of battle, or within
the camps and cantonments, imperative, so there is little record of the graves
of those who died or were killed in action in our earlier engagements. The
number of which there is a record seems pitifully small when compared with the
actual number of deaths reported. Even as late as the Civil War no adequate
system seems to have been developed for burial of the dead. In 1861, the
Quartermaster Department was first charged by the War Department in General
Order No. 75, 1861, with care of cemeteries and burial places for our soldier
dead, but it was the duty of Commanding Generals to lay off plots of ground in
some suitable spot near every battlefield, and to cause the remains of those
killed to be interred as soon as it was possible to effect these burials,
reporting to The Quartermaster General the name of every officer and soldier who
had died. Burials were made by
squads detailed for this purpose, by pioneer troops and by prisoners of war;
consequently mistakes were frequent, and the number of our unknown dead remained
pitifully large. When the Florida Indian
wars closed in 1842, a fund was raised by the officers and men serving in
Military Department No. 9, and the remains of those who had died or who were
killed in action during these operations, were gathered together and interred in
the post cemetery at St. Augustine, Florida, with full military honors.
This cemetery has since become the St. Augustine National Cemetery. After the close of the
Mexican War a plot of about two acres was secured in the City of Mexico, and
remains of about 750 officers and men who had lost their lives in this war, were
recovered and removed to this plot. When it is considered that the casualties of
the Mexican War amounted to about 400 officers and 13,000 enlisted men, and that
only 750 of these were recovered, the need of an adequate system for the
identification and burial of our dead is strikingly brought home to us. The
above condition was due to no lack of reverence for our dead, but to conditions
existing at the time, such as campaigning in foreign lands, lack of
transportation, and the fact that no adequate system for performing this duty
had been devised. When the Civil War ended in
1865, the Quartermaster Department began the enormous task of locating the
burial places of the dead, exhuming bodies from distant or isolated graves and
concentrating them into cemeteries. The difficulties encountered were enormous,
especially in making identifications. An extract from a report of Captain James
M. Moore, Q.M.C., dated July 3,1865, to Major General M. C. Meigs, The
Quartermaster General, concerning this work on the battlefields of the
Wilderness and Spottsylvania Court House, will show some of the difficulties
encountered at every phase of the work. These
extracts read as follows: "The bones of these men were gathered from the
ground where they fell, having never been interred." Another reads,
"Hundreds of graves on these battle fields are without any marks whatever
to distinguish them." However in the face of the arduous task, a grateful
government bended every effort to overcome the difficulties encountered in order
that those who had made the supreme sacrifice might have a final resting place
that would be kept sacred forever. National Cemeteries as they
exist today, were first authorized by Section 18 of an Act of Congress approved
July 17, 1862. This Act empowered the President to purchase cemetery grounds and
cause them to be securely enclosed and established as national cemeteries for
our soldier dead. A joint resolution,
approved April 13, 1866, authorized and required the Secretary of War to take
immediate measures to preserve from desecration the graves of the soldiers of
the United States who fell during the Civil War. This work went forward so
rapidly that by 1873, seventy-five national cemeteries had been established and
they contained the graves of 170,162 known and 147,800 unknown Union soldiers.
Later on, Congress appropriated funds to mark the graves of the
Confederate dead. After
the Mexican War our Army had no foreign service until the Spanish-American War.
Then followed the Philippine Insurrection and the Boxer Rebellion in China. Our
soldier dead from these expeditions were all returned to the homeland and either
turned over to relatives or interred in National Cemeteries. So
thoroughly has our government gone into this task of providing proper places for
its soldier dead, that today there are 93 National American Cemeteries located
as follows: 83 are in the continental limits of the United States, 1 established
in Alaska, 1 in Mexico City, 1 in England, 1 in Belgium, and in France. Arlington
National Cemetery, located in the hills of Virginia, just across the Potomac
River from Washington, is the largest of our National Cemeteries. It consists
of 408 acres and contains the remains of 33,541 known and 4,713 unknown dead.
Many of our most famous heroes have found their last resting place in this
beautiful spot. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located in Arlington National
Cemetery, and thousands annually make the pilgrimage to this shrine to do homage
to one who represents those who gave their all in defense of their country, but
who because of war's chaos remain unidentified. WORLD WAR PERIOD We
now approach the period of the World War in which this country took up the cause
of the Allies in April, 1917. The Secretaries of War and Navy agreed early in
March, 1918, to bury all dead abroad and to return these bodies to the United
States at some future date, when practicable. Based
on history and past experience, the need of an organization to properly handle
and care for our dead was foreseen, and a Graves Registration Service was
organized in August, 1917, for the purpose of establishing and caring for
cemeteries, marking graves, recording the burials, identification, and reverent
handling of the dead. The
adopted plan of operation charged organizations with the duty of burial as a
tribute to their dead and the appointment of burial officers by organization
commanders. To chaplains generally fell this duty, and it was wonderfully well
and conscientiously performed, often under fire. Instructions provided that a
chaplain be present at burials, that the whole battlefield be carefully searched
to insure no dead being overlooked, that burials in single graves or small
isolated groups be avoided, that graves be carefully marked, and every precaution
taken to insure respectful handling of bodies and care of valuables found
thereon. Many
of the men making up these Graves Registration Units had become incapacitated
for active field service, and were quick to grasp the spirit of the organization
and the importance of their work. The dead were their "buddies" for
whom they were performing a solemn service that the fortunes of war might easily
have made necessary for themselves; the agonized pleas for information and consolation
came with a force as if from their own relatives. They responded nobly to the
appeal with honor and reverence to fallen comrades, and such consolation to the
anguished ones as the meager knowledge of their heroes' burial places could
give. Under
the stress of combat, burials of necessity have to be hastily made and ofttimes
under fire; consequently, in many instances grave markings were temporary and
locations unsuitable. So thoroughly did the personnel of the Graves Registration
Service become imbued with the spirit of service for their fallen comrades, that
fidelity of identification became almost a religion. No risk was too dangerous,
no effort too great, if it promised identification of a "buddy's"
remains. These units followed closely our victorious troops, searching for the
unburied, exhuming the hastily buried, and recording the burials. Many
difficulties were encountered, but the work went on ceaselessly. NATIONAL
CEMETERIES IN
EUROPE PROVIDED November
11, 1918, saw the end of the war, and the problem of bringing our dead back
home, or providing National Cemeteries in Europe for them. During the war a
spirit began to develop among relatives back home that they would prefer to have
their kin remain where they had fallen. Impetus was given this sentiment by
Colonel Roosevelt's request that the body of his son, Lieutenant Quentin
Roosevelt, should remain where it was buried after he was killed: in which
request he used the expression, "where the tree falls, let it lie."
At this time there were about 2,400 American burial places in England, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and Germany. A few were in
established cemeteries, but most were in temporary cemeteries to meet the
emergencies of military operations. These
2,400 burial places were later reduced to about 700. When
the World War finally ended, the records indicated that our casualties amounted
to 79,351 killed in action and those who had died in hospitals. Public
discussion immediately arose as to the disposition of the remains. The plans
advocated ranged from no returns at all to unqualified return of all the bodies.
Some people advocated the establishment of one magnificent field of honor,
while some objected to any further removal of the bodies. The War Department
then caused inquiries to be sent to each emergency address furnished by the
soldier, asking an expression of their desires, in each case of death and burial
abroad. They were asked to choose between leaving the remains overseas,
returning them for burial home or in a National Cemetery. Realizing that the
decision was personal and the matter too intimate and holy to warrant official
intervention, the War Department made no attempt to influence the decision of
the relatives of these deceased soldiers. Final replies to these inquiries
indicated that about 65 per cent desired the return of their kin; the remainder
desired that their kin remain where they fell. With
the question of policy settled it was now necessary to select the final,
permanent cemeteries, as it was utterly impracticable for this government to
maintain approximately 700 separate burial plots in Europe. After much careful
and thoughtful planning it was decided to establish eight permanent National
Cemeteries in Europe for Our World War dead, eternal, golden links of friendship
with our associated defenders of freedom,
where each lowly, turf-covered grave, each tragic cross, would be a plea for
peace; and each recurring Memorial Day relatives of our dead would be joined by
our allies in a solemn ceremony of love and tribute, a handclasp of mutual
faith and good will, and a reconsecration of peace and harmony among the
nations. Today, the Stars and
Stripes float over eight hallowed plots of land in Europe, consecrated by the
blood of those who made the supreme sacrifice, our soldier dead. One of these is
in England, one in Belgium, and six in France. A World War veteran is in charge
of each plot, and by reason of his own experience is able to meet with proper
understanding those who come to visit the graves of his fallen comrades.
Trees, flowers, shrubs, and winding walks all contribute to the beauty and
peaceful atmosphere in which a grateful government has placed the mortal remains
of its heroes. Brookwood American
Cemetery, Brookwood, England, about twenty-eight miles from London, consists of
4 1/2 acres and contains the remains of 453 of our American soldier dead. Of
this number 411 are knowns and 42 are unknowns. Flanders Field American
Cemetery, Weareghem, Belgium, consists of about 5 acres and contains the remains
of 366 of our soldier dead. Of this number 347 are knowns and 19 are unknowns. The Meuse-Argonne American
Cemetery, Romagne-sous-Montfaticon, Meuse, about 128 miles from Paris, consists
of 130 acres and is the largest of our European cemeteries. It contains the
remains of 14,182 of our soldier dead, of which 13,724 are knowns and 458 are
unknowns. The Aisne-Marne American
Cemetery, Belleau, Aisne, about six miles from Chateau-Thierry and sixty miles
from Paris, consists of about 34 acres and contains the remains of 2,271 of our
soldier dead. Of this number 2,019 are knowns and 252 are unknowns. The Suresnes American
Cemetery, Suresnes, Seine, near Paris, consists of 7 1/2 acres and contains the
remains of 1,534 of our soldier dead. Of this number 1,528 are knowns and 6 are
unknowns. The Somme American
Cemetery, Bony Aisne, about 90 miles from Paris, consists of 13 acres and
contains the remains of 1,830 of our soldier dead, of which 1,699 are knowns and
131 unknowns. The Oisne-Aisne American
Cemetery, Seringes-et-Nesles, Aisne, about sixty miles from Paris, consists of
32 acres and contains the remains of 6,010 of our soldier dead, of which 5,391
are knowns and 619 unknowns. The St. Mihiel American
Cemetery, Thiaucourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, about twenty miles from Metz, consists
of about 30 acres and contains the remains of 4,151 of our soldier dead, of
which 4,034 are knowns and 117 unknowns. Realizing its obligations,
our government made every effort to conform to the wishes of the relatives of
its heroic dead, with the result that on November 12, 1919, the first bodies,
114 soldier dead of the North Russia Expedition, arrived in New York City, and
the movement of exhuming bodies, returning them to the homeland or concentrating
them in foreign cemeteries continued, until on January 1, 1930, the following
results had been obtained: 46,291 bodies had been
returned to the United States; 30,797 bodies had been concentrated in the eight
permanent American cemeteries in Europe; 605 bodies had been shipped, at the
request of relatives, to foreign countries; 31 bodies removed to the Lafayette
Escadrille Memorial; 28 bodies turned over to relatives for burial in private
tombs, at private expense; and 70 bodies remaining where first buried. In
addition, there are 3,173 who have been reported missing in action, and whose
bodies have not yet been recovered. PROBLEMS
OF IDENTIFICATION Notwithstanding the fact
that every effort was made to identify all bodies recovered, 1,644 of our
soldier dead remain unidentified and buried in our National Cemeteries.
Compared to previous wars, this number is insignificant and shows the
thoroughness in which instructions for the care of the dead were carried out.
Many causes contribute to this failure to identify all. Regulations requiring
identification tags to be worn were sometimes evaded; tags were lost, or in some
instances, destroyed by the manner of death. To this cause may be traced most of
the unidentified burials. Where no tags were found bodies were searched for
other means of identification, such as letters, photographs, lockets, et cetera.
Every clue was followed up, and if failure to identify still resulted, all data
was forwarded to the Graves Registration Service in the Office of The
Quartermaster General, for further search.
In a number of instances, clues that at first seemed insignificant have
been patiently followed and absolute identification resulted.
This work is being constantly carried on and the number of unknown
gradually reduced. Now, a word about the 3,173
who have been reported missing and whose bodies have not been recovered. At
best, a human body is not particularly conspicuous on a modern battlefield,
among trenches, shell craters and resulting debris, stretching beyond the limits
of vision. This is especially true when it is considered that our uniform is
designed to blend with the ground and to render our soldiers as
"invisible" as possible to hostile eyes. Further, men were instructed
and instinct prompted them, to take advantage of all available means of shelter
from the withering fire of the enemy. Anything and any place offering the
slightest shelter from those indescribable blasts of death unceasingly sweeping
over and around them was taken advantage of. Few, even those who visit the
battlefields, can visualize the terrible conflict and its aftermath, fewer still
can grasp the enormity of thousands of dead. A minute's thought here will help
one realize the enormity of the task confronting those engaged in this work, and
the results shown convince us that a splendid and thorough work has been
achieved. During all the years
following the World War, in this work of recovering bodies, establishing
identifications, reverently laying away the remains in their final resting
place, a grateful government has dealt fairly and honestly with all the
relatives of its soldier dead. No
deceit was countenanced, nor substitutions attempted. The knowledge of this stand afforded consolation to thousands
of mourning widows, mothers and fathers, that cannot be overestimated.
Even when cruel necessity compelled admission that an identity could not
be established, the bereaved ones would express gratitude for the sincere effort
made, allow their grief to be sanctified by the glory of their
"unknown's" achievement, and turn their thoughts to reunion in that
great beyond, where all sorrow vanishes and the weary are at rest. Each of our American cemeteries in Europe has been laid out with most painstaking care. They have been beautified with trees, plants, flowers, and shrubbery. Marble headstones mark each grave. Each cemetery has its chapel. They are now areas of great beauty, and an air of reverence and solemnity pervades the whole scene, so that one visiting these shrines and knowing that their loved ones sleep peacefully there among thousands of their "buddies" who also gave their all, may gratefully say, "My country has kept faith."
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