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Show DECORATION DAY . of our oursoldier oursoldier oursoldier and more graves Each year more and more soldier dead claim the loving lovmg attention of relatives relativesfriends , . friends and living hving comrades , who on May l\fay l fay \ 30 place upon uponJ uponi uponthem uponthem uponthem them flowers and flags as tributes to those who sleep . J i oiiginalcd ollgmated originated at atI atPetersburg atPetersburg atPetersburg This beautiful custom is said to have I Petersburg , Va . , where on June 9 , 1865 , the citIzens citIzensdecorated citizensdecorated citizensdecorated who whoI whohad whohad whohad number of Confederates Confederat decorated the giaves glaves graves of a had fallen ' in 1n 7n battle battIe while defending defendmg the town on the same samedate samedate samedate I date a year before . . In 1868 , Mrs . Logan , wife of Gen- Gen General Gen General - . of the G G.A GA . commander-m-chief commander m chief commander-m-chlef chlef commander-in-chief in - - then eral John A . Logan , A . R , happened to visit Petersburg on its annual Memor Memor- Memorial Memorial . - the idea dea that she sherecommended sherecommended sherecommended impressed with ial lal Day and " was "as as as so recommended to the general that it be made a nationalcustom nationalcustom national nationalcustom custom . ACCOI Accoidingly dmgly , he issued a proclamation next year , _ calling upon all aU posts of the G . A . R R- R Rto - . , to observe May 30 30as 30as 30as as Decoration Day , or \ Memorial J\femorlal J femorlal Day , by which it is also alsoknown alsoknown alsoknown known , and this day is now a legal holiday in 40 statesand statesand states statesand and in m all U . S . possessions . In recent yeais yeals , especially since S1l1Ce the World War , this thisdate thisdate thisdate date has been obseived observed obsel ved more generally in the South Southusually , _ usually under . the t.he auspices of the American Legion , al- al although although al although - - though all Southern States also observe Confederate Confederatelemonal ConfederateMemorial ConfederateMemorial l\emonal l emonal Memorial \ ! Day , on different dates in m the various states . These dates aie ale ate April 26 in Alabama , GeorgIa GeorgiaMississippi , MISSISSIppi and Florida ; May l\fay l fay \ 10 in North and South SouthCarolIna South'S SouthCarolina It 'S S ItMISSISSIppi 'SCarolina ' CarolIna ; the second Fnday FrIday in May in m Tennessee , and andJune andJune andJune June 3 ( the birthday of Jefferson Davis ) in Louisiana . . National Decoration Day on May 30 is the occaS1on occasion occaS1onfor occasionfor occasionfor for especially impressive ceremonies at the tomb of the theUnknown theUnknown theUnknown Unknown Soldier in m Alhngton Al1mgtoI1 Aihngton , , Cemetery , near Wash Wash- Washington Washington . - ington , where the President and high officials of our ourown ourown ourown own and foreign governments usually participate in the theexercises . ' exercises exercises . |
