2nd Alabama Cavalry
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2019
I came across this Federal account, of burying the dead as well as the dying, the other day while researching some of the battles in which my Confederate ancestors took part. Once I read it I was immediately bothered, because I had several ancestors fighting that battle on that day, and I know that two of them were recorded as being killed in action and laid to rest where they were killed during the battle of Jonesboro. Then some months - years after the war they were later reinterred at what is now the Confederate rest portion of the city cemetery now.
Below is what was written by John McElroy (U.S. Army), regarding the Battle of Jonesboro. The excerpt below was found in the Book: "Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons" by John McElroy circa 1879 (Chapter LVI pages 442-443), based largely from his daily Journal entries during the event:
"We gradually forced our way over the works, but the Rebels were game to the last, and we had to make them surrender almost one at a time. . . The artillerymen tried to fire on us when we were so close we could lay our hands on the guns. Finally nearly all in the works surrendered, and were disarmed and marched back. Just then an aid came dashing up with the information that we must turn the works, and get ready to receive Hardee, who was advancing to retake the position. We snatched up some shovels lying near, and began work. We had no time to remove the dead and dying Rebels on the works, and the dirt we threw covered them up. It proved a false alarm. Hardee had as much as he could do to save his own hide, and the affair ended about dark."
Basically, the Federals in haste, buried both dead and dying Confederates after the Battle of Jonesboro, in an urgent effort to meet a presumed impending attack by Hardee, which never materialized. I have long held the impression that after the battles were waged, that both sides would allow time for each army to gather up their dead and wounded and properly attend to them. Then if necessary they would bury the dead in a mass grave and move on. But after doing considerably more research, I find that it was often during large scaled battles, that some dead would be left where they died in the trenches, with others thrown in on top of them, and then dirt thrown over all of them to bury them. This being a quick solution to keep diseases from spreading throughout the areas where the battles were waged. It was also the quickest way to bury so many with the least amount of effort, as the trenches were already dug, so all that would be necessary would be to fill in the areas where the dead were left or thrown on top of one another. But I had not heard of any being buried alive, albeit still dying, until I read the Federal account above from John McElroy.
Now I can not help but wonder if one or both of my ancestors who fell that day at Jonesboro, were dead when they were buried or perhaps still dying... The next time that I visit the Confederate rest section at the Jonesboro City Cemetery, I believe that I will view it with a much more profound perspective now.
Below is what was written by John McElroy (U.S. Army), regarding the Battle of Jonesboro. The excerpt below was found in the Book: "Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons" by John McElroy circa 1879 (Chapter LVI pages 442-443), based largely from his daily Journal entries during the event:
"We gradually forced our way over the works, but the Rebels were game to the last, and we had to make them surrender almost one at a time. . . The artillerymen tried to fire on us when we were so close we could lay our hands on the guns. Finally nearly all in the works surrendered, and were disarmed and marched back. Just then an aid came dashing up with the information that we must turn the works, and get ready to receive Hardee, who was advancing to retake the position. We snatched up some shovels lying near, and began work. We had no time to remove the dead and dying Rebels on the works, and the dirt we threw covered them up. It proved a false alarm. Hardee had as much as he could do to save his own hide, and the affair ended about dark."
Basically, the Federals in haste, buried both dead and dying Confederates after the Battle of Jonesboro, in an urgent effort to meet a presumed impending attack by Hardee, which never materialized. I have long held the impression that after the battles were waged, that both sides would allow time for each army to gather up their dead and wounded and properly attend to them. Then if necessary they would bury the dead in a mass grave and move on. But after doing considerably more research, I find that it was often during large scaled battles, that some dead would be left where they died in the trenches, with others thrown in on top of them, and then dirt thrown over all of them to bury them. This being a quick solution to keep diseases from spreading throughout the areas where the battles were waged. It was also the quickest way to bury so many with the least amount of effort, as the trenches were already dug, so all that would be necessary would be to fill in the areas where the dead were left or thrown on top of one another. But I had not heard of any being buried alive, albeit still dying, until I read the Federal account above from John McElroy.
Now I can not help but wonder if one or both of my ancestors who fell that day at Jonesboro, were dead when they were buried or perhaps still dying... The next time that I visit the Confederate rest section at the Jonesboro City Cemetery, I believe that I will view it with a much more profound perspective now.
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