The U.S. Military Marker: a history.

Countless rows of gleaming white stones, that is the image that comes to mind when one thinks of military cemeteries. But did you know United States Government headstones have a history all their own?

The original standard gravestone has its origin in the frontier days when it was the duty of the garrison commanders to bury their dead, mainly in cemetery plots within garrisons and those not so fortunate were buried where death occurred.

The departed were marked with a wooden board with a rounded top bearing a registration number or inscription.

This system might have been ok for the forces in the frontier, but it could scarcely meet the needs of the national army that came into being at the beginning of the Civil War. Soon after the first battle of Manassas, the War Department issued General Orders #75 on September 11, 1861, which made commanders of the national forces responsible for burials and marking graves. In the same General Orders, the Quartermaster General of the Army was directed to provide headboards as well as blank books and forms for the preservation of burial records. General Orders #75 created the first organized system of marking graves.

In 1865, when burials approached 100,000 in national cemeteries, there were serious considerations given to the thought of how much it was going to cost to maintain the wooden headboards being used. It was estimated that the total recovered dead of the Civil War would be around 300,000 and, considering the average cost of a headboard at $1.23 each and a life expectancy of not more than five years, it became obvious that the original and replacement costs would exceed $1 million over a 20-year period.

Besides the costs of wooden headboards, public sentiment was turning to a more permanent way of marking graves. Several years of controversy ensued within the War Department as to the type of headstone should be used instead of the wooden headboard. There were those who favored the use of marble and those who favored galvanized iron coated with zinc. The controversy between marble and galvanized iron continued for several years.

 The monument shown to the right is an example of a Zinc marker. It has a characteristic blue-grey hue.

In 1873, Secretary of War William W. Belknap adopted the first design for stones to be erected in national cemeteries. For the known dead, the department adopted a slab design of marble or durable stone four inches thick, 10 inches wide and 12 inches in height extending above the ground. The part above the ground was polished and the top slightly curved.

 The number of the grave, rank, name of the soldier and the name of the state were cut on the front face. This original design for the permanent headstone was referred to as the "Civil War" type, and was furnished for members of the Union Army only. The stone featured a sunken shield in which the inscription appeared in bas-relief.

  For the unknown dead, the stone was a block of marble or durable stone six inches square, and 30 inches long. The top and four inches of the sides of the upper part were finished and the number of the grave cut on the top. 

 In 1903 the height of the stone was increased to 39 inches, the width to 12 inches, and the thickness to four inches. The use of stone blocks for marking unknown graves in national cemeteries was discontinued on Oct. 21, 1903, and the graves were marked with the same design as those furnished for the known dead.



  Point of interest:
According to a graves registrar for the Sons of Union Veterans, if an original stone is replaced with a modern version - the older stone is to be destroyed and used as base material for the newer stone.

 The question of permanently marking graves of Confederates in national cemeteries and Confederate burial plots resulted in the Act of March 9, 1906, authorizing the furnishing of headstones for the graves of Confederates who died, primarily in Union prison camps and were buried in federal cemeteries.

Congress adopted the same size and material for Confederate headstones as headstones for Civil and Spanish War dead. The design varied in that the top was pointed instead of rounded and the shield was omitted.



 

As the story goes the reason for the point at the top was to prevent "Yankees" from sitting on Confederate headstones.

An act on Feb. 26, 1929, authorized the furnishing of this type of stone for graves in private cemeteries, as well.

On May 26, 1930, the War Department implemented regulations for Confederate headstones that also authorized the inscription of the Confederate Cross of Honor in a small circle on the front face of the stone.






Following World War I, a board of officers adopted a new design to be used for all graves except those of veterans of the Civil and Spanish-American Wars. The stone was of the slab design referred to as "General" type, slightly rounded at the top, of white marble, 42 inches long, 13 inches wide and four inches thick. The inscription on the front face would include the name of the soldier, his rank, regiment, division, date of death and state from which he came.

In April 1941, the Under Secretary of War approved the use of granite material for stones similar to the existing designs of the Civil and Spanish-American Wars, and the Confederate and General types. These granite headstones were discontinued in 1947, however, because of the inability to procure them within the price limitations authorized by the War Department.

To assure the marking of all graves of all eligible members of the armed forces and veterans buried in private cemeteries, who due to cemetery regulations were permitted only a flat marker type, the following designs were approved by the Assistant Secretary of War:

* flat marble marker adopted Aug. 11, 1936

*flat granite marker adopted Sept. 13, 1939, April 18, 1940





*and in 1940 the use flat bronze markers was adopted.

 Starting in 1951 the Secretary of the Army started approving religious emblems besides the Christian cross and adding the recent conflicts.


Dec. 12, 1988 "MIA" and "POW" was approved.

 Jan. 19, 1994 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs authorized the reintroduction of upright granite headstones.

With so many variations over so many years, one thing is for sure... the official United States Military Marker will forever be adapting and changing with the times. Just like the soldiers they commemorate.


Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have or are currently serving.

How in the world did they come up with that? Military Edition

Have you ever wondered how some nicknames came about?  Why a delicate flower became the symbol of a very bloody conflict? Sometimes on the surface these things make no sense at all... until you hear the rest of the story. This blog will explain how certain military phrases, nicknames and symbols became part of our American consciousness.

Walking through most any American cemetery, one can see a collection of small metal markers near gravestones. These markers are meant to hold flags and typically reflect the symbols of the military branches and organizations that they represent.

Here I will explain a couple of the most seen.

World War 1 Marker depicting the “Poppy.” The red poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day (November 11). Poppies bloomed in mass numbers across some of the worst battlefields of France during World War I. Their brilliant red color an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war. Even today veterans groups can be found selling small paper "Buddy Poppies" to raise monies and awareness for their support programs.

There are many flowers in France... so why the poppy?

Doctor John McCrae, of Canada, serving as a military doctor is the reason.

It is believed that the death of Dr. McCrae's friend, Alexis Helmer, was the inspiration for McCrae's poem ‘In Flanders Fields’. The exact details of when the first draft was written may never be known because there are various accounts by those who were with McCrae at that time. Some say he wrote the poem in just 20 minutes in an effort to deal with his friends funeral, or that it was written on a work break in between groups of battlefield casualties.

No matter HOW the poem came about... the fact that it was a highly emotional poem written right on the battlefield, greatly impacted all who read it. The imagery in the poem  'In Flanders Fields'  became the symbol of the War....



In Flanders fields the poppies blow                                        
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

 

 

WWI also brought the term "Doughboy" into the American lexicon.

 

Doughboys' was the nickname given to the American Expeditionary Force that took part in the later years of World War One. Before this decisive US involvement the name had applied only to infantryman, but at some point between April 1917 and November 1918 the word expanded to include the whole American armed forces. The term was not used in a derogatory sense, in fact it was a badge of honor, and is present in the diaries and letters of US serviceman, as well as newspapers.

The actual origin of the term 'Doughboy' is still debated within both US historical and military circles, but it dates back to at least the American-Mexican War of 1846-7 after observers noticed U.S. infantry forces were constantly covered with chalky dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico, giving the men the appearance of unbaked dough. Another suggestion also arises from the Mexican–American War, and the dust-covered infantry men resembled the commonly used mud bricks of the area known as adobes. No one knows for sure the exact inspiration for the nickname but the fact remains that it was made very popular many years later during WWI. 

Click on the link below to hear a hit song from the era using the term.

Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in Ireland

Another strange nickname comes from WWII.

 "The Ruptured Duck" marker was originally  a cloth insignia depicting an eagle inside a wreath. WWII servicemen and women wore it on uniforms above the right breast pocket.

It was issued to service personnel who were about to leave the military with an Honorable Discharge. It also allowed them to continue to wear their uniform for up to thirty days after they were discharged since there was a clothing shortage at that time. This showed the MP's that they were in transit and not AWOL. 

Well, the boys thought the eagle looked more like a duck; and because it meant they were going home, the popular saying was, 

"They took off like a Ruptured Duck"

Kind of paints a funny picture, huh? But that's the true story. Ask any WWII veteran, they know the term well. 

Written by guest blogger:  Daniel Meehan

Taphophile Corner - Displaced Honor

Over the years as I make my way through cemeteries gathering Civil War veterans burial information, I have noticed a common occurrence, one of misplaced GAR flag markers. 

The GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) was an organization much like today’s American Legion and was made up of honorably discharged Union Veterans, not every veteran joined the GAR but those who were members would receive a flag holder for their grave so a flag could be placed for Decoration Day.

But as I make my way across states and cemeteries I see the same theme, that of these markers on the wrong graves, such as a child’s grave, that of a woman, on a man’s grave who was not even born during the Civil War and even propped up near a fence. 

Women were not permitted to be G.A.R. members

I have had the chance to talk to some cemetery groundskeepers who have told me that the markers are moved a lot of times so they can mow around a stone and then either forgotten about or misplaced.

 A person whose relative who fought in WWII needed a flag holder and this GAR marker on a grave seemed like a good holder, and even some cemeteries will help a person remove the marker to place elsewhere. 

The reasons are many of why they are removed and still some are removed and sold on Ebay,  

which is against Ebay policies. In some states it is against the law to even sell these.

One day I walked into a cemetery office and asked about the misplaced markers. I was told that they had no idea of what to do and for me to just fix it if I like…WHAT!!! Ok, so I can just remove any grave marker??? I know there were laws protecting grave markers. What about cemetery rules??? 

Born after the Civil War - could not have earned a G.A.R. marker

Before removing a marker you need permission from the cemetery commission and from a relative of the person whose grave it is on. That can take a long time and research.

But I am starting to notice that this trend is now not being limited to just the GAR markers but is also effecting other veterans from other wars. It is sad that these men and woman who gave so much and asked so little can not even keep a simple flag holding to honor them, just because someone is too lazy to buy their own or to replace it correctly after mowing.

One day I was talking with a member of an American Legion and he asked me to ID an item. He showed me a GAR Marker, I explained to him what it was and the organization. He told me that the Legion Post had a 55-gallon barrel full of them and they were going to scrap them because they didn’t know what they were. I took them all and have since replaced them back into their local cemetery.

 I am a believer also that the correct marker should be placed at the correct grave, GAR or Civil War Vet for Civil War Veterans, Span Am for Spanish American Veterans, WWII Markers for WWII Vets.

 

I have been seeing VFW Markers for Civil War Veterans and this is a miss representation as there were no VFW’s around at that time and if you want to spend the time marking graves then it should be done with the right marker. 

A special Thank You to Daniel Meehan my guest blogger. 

Daniel has spent countless hours in the cemeteries of New Hampshire documenting Veteran's graves and compiling their photos and histories. Daniel is a War reinactor as well as a Veteran advocate. He was intricately involved in the moving and honorable re-interment of a Civil War Veteran and his family due to a construction project in his area. Daniel personally provides the flags to various cemeteries in his town since the VFW has refused to do so. He feels passionately about honoring the service of Veterans across the board and I believe, was the perfect person to speak on this topic.