Would Union and Confederate Soldiers be buried together?
The answer to this question depends on who did the burial. Both armies would take care in providing a proper burial for their own soldiers. That doesn’t mean that burials were done in individual graves. Having an individual grave would depend on whether the deceased was identified. As discussed in The Unknown Story, it usually required that your own unit did the burial. If not, the soldier’s uniform may have some type of identification on it to let whoever was doing the burial to know who the deceased was. In most cases, the deceased soldier was an unknown.
Mass graves were the norm. It is much easier to dig a trench or a big hole by hand than digging individual graves. The rock environment in Middle Tennessee would make it very difficult to dig a deep grave. In most places, a person could only dig down three to four feet before hitting solid rock. If burials were left to local residents or the opposing army, their intention was to get rid of the bodies as quickly as possible to eliminate the stench and the view of having dead bodies nearby.
Armies would most likely separate their own soldiers from the opposition. They probably would not want their mortal enemies in the same grave as their comrades. As such, separate trenches were normally created for the Confederate and Union dead.
The answer to this question depends on who did the burial. Both armies would take care in providing a proper burial for their own soldiers. That doesn’t mean that burials were done in individual graves. Having an individual grave would depend on whether the deceased was identified. As discussed in The Unknown Story, it usually required that your own unit did the burial. If not, the soldier’s uniform may have some type of identification on it to let whoever was doing the burial to know who the deceased was. In most cases, the deceased soldier was an unknown.
Mass graves were the norm. It is much easier to dig a trench or a big hole by hand than digging individual graves. The rock environment in Middle Tennessee would make it very difficult to dig a deep grave. In most places, a person could only dig down three to four feet before hitting solid rock. If burials were left to local residents or the opposing army, their intention was to get rid of the bodies as quickly as possible to eliminate the stench and the view of having dead bodies nearby.
Armies would most likely separate their own soldiers from the opposition. They probably would not want their mortal enemies in the same grave as their comrades. As such, separate trenches were normally created for the Confederate and Union dead.
What is the significance of the buttons?
Seventeen years after the original burial, the dead were decomposed only leaving behind their bones. So, how do you determine whether the deceased were Confederate or Union? Superintendent Frame stated in his February letter that small patches of cloth were found. Since the pieces appeared to be faded blue, the assumption was that the initial body was Union.
The only other items that remained in the trench were uniform buttons. Each army had distinctively designed buttons on their uniforms. Since the ifirst found bodies had buttons with eagles embossed on them, the assumption was that the dead were Union soldiers.
But when they dug deeper, they found a mixture of Union buttons with Confederate buttons. The assumption then turned to how to separate the Union dead from the Confederate dead. The condition of the bodies and the dispersal of the buttons, though, showed that this was not possible. The eleven bodies would have to be reburied together in another mass grave.
Seventeen years after the original burial, the dead were decomposed only leaving behind their bones. So, how do you determine whether the deceased were Confederate or Union? Superintendent Frame stated in his February letter that small patches of cloth were found. Since the pieces appeared to be faded blue, the assumption was that the initial body was Union.
The only other items that remained in the trench were uniform buttons. Each army had distinctively designed buttons on their uniforms. Since the ifirst found bodies had buttons with eagles embossed on them, the assumption was that the dead were Union soldiers.
But when they dug deeper, they found a mixture of Union buttons with Confederate buttons. The assumption then turned to how to separate the Union dead from the Confederate dead. The condition of the bodies and the dispersal of the buttons, though, showed that this was not possible. The eleven bodies would have to be reburied together in another mass grave.
Is there any other evidence to consider?
The evidence of the buttons would indicate, as Superintendent Frame assumed, that the bodies were a mix of the two armies. But did Frame have any other evidence to make a determination?
In his March letter, he stated that Doctor Burrus told him that they were Union solders. This is a curious statement by the doctor. For one, we don’t even know whether he was around Murfreesboro when the battle occurred since the one Civil War record shows a William Burrus from Tennessee residing in St. Louis in 1863. It is also interesting that less than two years later, the troops from the 111th U.S.C.T were canvassing that area retrieving Union dead but nobody bothered to tell them about that grave.
Dr. Burrus also stated to Frame that there were many Union soldiers buried throughout the property and never taken up. The Burrus property was the site of many Union and Confederate casualties. Not only was the Burrus property the site of a significant battle but the Widow Burrus house was used as a field hospital. It is likely that Dr. Burrus' house was also used as a hospital since the records show that most of the homes were pressed into action to care for the wounded. One would think that the home of a "practicing physician" would be a likely place for medical care, especially if Dr. Burrus was present.
The subsequent burials by the Union soldiers were well documented. Burials at field hospitals were normally mass graves, instead of individual graves. However, mass graves for Union soldiers buried at the national cemetery did not exist. Each body in a mass grave were carefully separated and buried in an individual grave with an unknown soldier marker. [Note: The only known mass grave of Union soldiers was for three bodies found in the 1890's in Murfreesboro when a road was extended.]
The search when the national cemetery was created was also very comprehensive. So much so, that Chaplain Earnshaw accounted for all but less than fifty of the dead in an area 80 miles wide. It is very likely they would do a very thorough search of a battlefield within a mile of the national cemetery.
In the same March letter, the former slaves of Doctor Burrus told Frame that the grave contained Confederate soldiers. Since they were possible eyewitnesses to the creation of the grave, their statements should carry some weight. But did they mean that all of the dead were Confederates or were Union soldiers added to the grave?
It is also interesting how the grave was discovered. Doctor Burrus notified Frame in 1880 when D.H. Allen was digging underneath his cabin to create a root cellar. The cabin itself is a piece of the puzzle. The letter states that the log cabin did not exist at the time of the battle. This makes sense since the gravediggers would not go through the bother of digging underneath a cabin. The trench would be dug in an open field. It is likely that the cabin was unknowingly built on top of the grave when Dr. Burrus needed to build a residence for the farm’s caretaker. If so, Dr. Burrus wasn’t there when the trench was created or he lost track of the grave.
The February letter also stated that Mr. Allen told Frame that the Union soldier was “from the fort.” This is interesting since Fortress Rosecrans was not built until after the Battle of Stones River. Is it possible that the Union soldier was killed in the 1864 Battle of the Cedars or while out on patrol from the fort? If this was the case, were the other ten soldiers killed at the same time or did they just add this Union soldier to the existing trench? If Mr. Allen knew this information about the trench, why did he have his cabin built on top of the grave and why was it a surprise to him to find the bones when he was digging out the root cellar?
In the final part of the Mystery Under Dr Burrus' Cabin, we will look at a possible alternative theory about the soldiers in the trench and where they were buried in the national cemetery.
- Thomas Zei
The evidence of the buttons would indicate, as Superintendent Frame assumed, that the bodies were a mix of the two armies. But did Frame have any other evidence to make a determination?
In his March letter, he stated that Doctor Burrus told him that they were Union solders. This is a curious statement by the doctor. For one, we don’t even know whether he was around Murfreesboro when the battle occurred since the one Civil War record shows a William Burrus from Tennessee residing in St. Louis in 1863. It is also interesting that less than two years later, the troops from the 111th U.S.C.T were canvassing that area retrieving Union dead but nobody bothered to tell them about that grave.
Dr. Burrus also stated to Frame that there were many Union soldiers buried throughout the property and never taken up. The Burrus property was the site of many Union and Confederate casualties. Not only was the Burrus property the site of a significant battle but the Widow Burrus house was used as a field hospital. It is likely that Dr. Burrus' house was also used as a hospital since the records show that most of the homes were pressed into action to care for the wounded. One would think that the home of a "practicing physician" would be a likely place for medical care, especially if Dr. Burrus was present.
The subsequent burials by the Union soldiers were well documented. Burials at field hospitals were normally mass graves, instead of individual graves. However, mass graves for Union soldiers buried at the national cemetery did not exist. Each body in a mass grave were carefully separated and buried in an individual grave with an unknown soldier marker. [Note: The only known mass grave of Union soldiers was for three bodies found in the 1890's in Murfreesboro when a road was extended.]
The search when the national cemetery was created was also very comprehensive. So much so, that Chaplain Earnshaw accounted for all but less than fifty of the dead in an area 80 miles wide. It is very likely they would do a very thorough search of a battlefield within a mile of the national cemetery.
In the same March letter, the former slaves of Doctor Burrus told Frame that the grave contained Confederate soldiers. Since they were possible eyewitnesses to the creation of the grave, their statements should carry some weight. But did they mean that all of the dead were Confederates or were Union soldiers added to the grave?
It is also interesting how the grave was discovered. Doctor Burrus notified Frame in 1880 when D.H. Allen was digging underneath his cabin to create a root cellar. The cabin itself is a piece of the puzzle. The letter states that the log cabin did not exist at the time of the battle. This makes sense since the gravediggers would not go through the bother of digging underneath a cabin. The trench would be dug in an open field. It is likely that the cabin was unknowingly built on top of the grave when Dr. Burrus needed to build a residence for the farm’s caretaker. If so, Dr. Burrus wasn’t there when the trench was created or he lost track of the grave.
The February letter also stated that Mr. Allen told Frame that the Union soldier was “from the fort.” This is interesting since Fortress Rosecrans was not built until after the Battle of Stones River. Is it possible that the Union soldier was killed in the 1864 Battle of the Cedars or while out on patrol from the fort? If this was the case, were the other ten soldiers killed at the same time or did they just add this Union soldier to the existing trench? If Mr. Allen knew this information about the trench, why did he have his cabin built on top of the grave and why was it a surprise to him to find the bones when he was digging out the root cellar?
In the final part of the Mystery Under Dr Burrus' Cabin, we will look at a possible alternative theory about the soldiers in the trench and where they were buried in the national cemetery.
- Thomas Zei