Will We Remember the Fallen of Long-Ago Wars?

Emerging Civil War welcomes Andrew C.M. Mizsak, M.A.P., MBM

In June, my wife and I attended a presentation by New York Times Best Selling Author Robert M. Edsel, whose book, The Monuments Men, became a 2014 feature film.

Mr. Edsel spoke about his latest work, Remember Us. It relates the story of the citizens of Margraten, Netherlands, and how they have cared for the 10,000 graves of American soldiers interred in the American Netherlands Cemetery. The grave adopters’ program was started by the wife of the mayor of Margraten during WWII and has evolved into the program where all the graves have caretakers. Moreover, there is even a waiting list to become a grave adopter. The care of many of the graves has remained in the same families since the end of WWII.

According to Mr. Edsel, the grave adopters customarily decorate the headstones on Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, the birth and death dates of the fallen, and other days, such as Christmas or other holidays.

There are 156 National Cemeteries in the United States that are administered by the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs (www.cem.va.gov). There are also countless other cemeteries administered by state and local governments, historical, religious, and other organizations that serve as the resting place of fallen heroes of long-ago wars.

These cemeteries assure that flags are placed at headstones of our veterans for Memorial Day, and many participate in the Wreaths Across America program in December. An example of a local cemetery providing these honors is the Woodland Cemetery Foundation in Cleveland, which has also created monuments to the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry within this historic cemetery.

But there are veterans’ graves that might not have been identified or recognized. That oversight presents an opportunity for us to become grave adopters in our own right. A perfect example of this occurred in 2019, when the James A. Garfield Round Table participated in Memorial Day ceremonies in Westfield Center, Ohio. Following a speech delivered by the mayor, a request was made to honor the memory of two interred members of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the unit commanded by Brig. Gen. Garfield. When located, both graves were not decorated. The James A. Garfield Round Table placed flags on each grave, and the mayor assured the Round Table members that those graves would never go undecorated going forward. That was a great example to highlight how graves of veterans can be adopted.

As part of Ohio’s efforts to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the America250 Ohio Commission has partnered with the State Historic Preservation Office of Ohio to document the graves of all of the Revolutionary War veterans in the Buckeye State, so as to ensure that those veterans are remembered.

But that effort is just the tip of the iceberg, and this is where all of us in the Civil War community can join the cause and make a difference.

There are many small cemeteries that dot the landscapes of the places we call home that oftentimes contain a grave or two of a Civil War veteran. Many of these cemeteries are rarely cared for or abandoned. These are the places where there is a prime opportunity for us to adopt a grave or two and learn the stories of those Civil War veterans. It is not difficult to plant a flag on Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day – the customary 8×12” grave size flags can be found at any local drug or hardware store for a couple of dollars. In learning the story of those who are resting beneath that headstone, you may also learn their birth and death dates, which the grave adopters in Margraten also honor. Also, the religious traditions of the interred veteran might be discovered.

In April, I viewed the coverage of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day commemorations from Australia, where the fallen from the battle of Gallipoli in World War I are honored in both nations. During the memorial service, there was a call and response that included the words “We will remember them.”

The question posed to us is “Will we remember them?”

Robert Edsel closed his presentation with the Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) poem “Remember Us,” which served as the inspiration for the title of his latest book. This poem is applicable to the fallen of any war:

The young dead soldiers do not speak.

Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses:
Who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night,
And when the clock counts.

They say: We were young. We have died.
REMEMBER US.

They say: We have done what we could,
But until it is finished it is not done.

They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished,
No one can know what our lives gave.

They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours,
They will mean what you make them.

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for,
Peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say,
It is you who must say this.

We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We have died;
REMEMBER US.

I have chosen to adopt the grave of Amasa B. Cook, a private in Company A of James Garfield’s 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Private Cook was a native of Bedford, Ohio and a student at Hiram College when he was recruited to serve. He was a Member of the Disciples of Christ Church and died of disease during the war. I will learn birth and death dates soon.

I’m unaware whether Pvt. Cook has any descendants remaining in the area, so I’m not aware if anyone still remembers him, other than as a name on the Billy Yank Statue on the town square and on the back of the annual Memorial Day program. However, I will remember him, and I will do my part to ensure he is remembered.

All those fallen veterans ask from us is to remember them.

The question is “Will we?”

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Andrew Mizsak is a member of the Board of Directors of the CWRT Congress and Commander of the James A. Garfield Civil War Round Table (Ohio)