sjholbert

So Many Unknown

At Vicksburg National Cemetery, 75% of the Civil War dead are listed as unknowns. During the Civil War, soldiers that succumbed to wounds or disease were typica...
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At Vicksburg National Cemetery, 75% of the Civil War dead are listed as unknowns. During the Civil War, soldiers that succumbed to wounds or disease were typically buried close to where they died. If their name was known, their grave could be marked with whatever materials were at hand — most commonly the etching of the name into a wooden board.

After the creation of Vicksburg National Cemetery, extensive efforts were made by the War Department to locate the remains of Union soldiers originally buried throughout the southeast in the areas occupied by Federal forces during the campaign of Vicksburg. However, by the time of these re-interments many of the wooden markers had been lost to the elements, and identification of many of the soldiers was rendered impossible.
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