OCR Text |
Show FIRST MEMORIAL DAY. Petersburg, Va., claims the distinction distinc-tion of being the originator of Memorial Mem-orial day, now generally observed on one date or another throughout the United States. On June 9, 1864, General Kautz with 20,000 Federal cavalrymen, marched on Petersburg, then ung-uarded except for a few Confederate pickets. Hastily, Has-tily, 125 old men and boys of the home guard were gathered together to oppose the Federals and partially checked their advance until an army of Confederate cavalry arrived, 11 of the defenders being killed. The next year, on the first anniversary anniver-sary of the battle, the people of Petersburg decorated the graves of these dead. In 18G8 Mrs. Logan, wifa of General John A. Logan, then commander com-mander of the G. A. R., happened to visit Petersburg on its memorial day and was so impressed with the beautiful beau-tiful tribute of flowers and flags that she suggested to the general that it should be made a national custom. The next year he issued an order for the observance of May 30 by the veterans of the North as Memorial day, and the custom has continued. In the South, April 26 is observed in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida; May 10 in North and South Carolina, the second Friday in May in Tennessee, and June 3 in Louisiana. While Virginia observes the national nation-al date, May 30, Petersburg still keeps its custom of decorating its graves on June 9 also, thus having two memorial memor-ial days each year. . Thus, according to the claim of that city, the nation-wide yearly tribute to the dead veterans of both North and South had its origin in the commemoration commem-oration of the valor of the heroic little 1 band of Petersburg's defenders. |