
By Thomas Zei
In the finale of the play Hamilton, the cast sings “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” It’s a poignant reflection on a person’s legacy and keeping the memory alive well into the future. In many ways, a headstone marker with a name, date of death and an epitaph at least gives visitors an opportunity to associate a name to events of a specific period and the accomplishments in the life.
For Alexander Hamilton, he was fortunate to live a life that was taught in history books. In New York City, you can view his tomb in the Trinity Church Cemetery where some of his achievements are etched in stone and you can visit his home at Hamilton Grange National Memorial. You can even relive his life in a famous Broadway play.
But what happens if you are an unfortunate Civil War soldier dying on the battlefield. Will the soldier be lucky enough to be buried in a grave marked by a name, state and regiment? Or will the soldier be like thousands of his fellow fighters that end up in either a mass grave or a tomb without a name.
In Stones River National Cemetery, 2313 grave sites are only marked with a small marble square with a number etched in the top. There is no hint as to the identity of the soldier buried there. Who lived? Who died? Who will tell the story? These 2313 graves (a few contain multiple bodies) are the unknowns. Why don’t we know their names? How can somebody become an unknown? If it is a mystery, is there a way to solve it?
In this article, we will address the unknowns and the questions raised about them. Is there any way in this age of modern science to place a name on a grave and tell the story of the deceased? Or will their names be forever lost in history?
In the finale of the play Hamilton, the cast sings “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” It’s a poignant reflection on a person’s legacy and keeping the memory alive well into the future. In many ways, a headstone marker with a name, date of death and an epitaph at least gives visitors an opportunity to associate a name to events of a specific period and the accomplishments in the life.
For Alexander Hamilton, he was fortunate to live a life that was taught in history books. In New York City, you can view his tomb in the Trinity Church Cemetery where some of his achievements are etched in stone and you can visit his home at Hamilton Grange National Memorial. You can even relive his life in a famous Broadway play.
But what happens if you are an unfortunate Civil War soldier dying on the battlefield. Will the soldier be lucky enough to be buried in a grave marked by a name, state and regiment? Or will the soldier be like thousands of his fellow fighters that end up in either a mass grave or a tomb without a name.
In Stones River National Cemetery, 2313 grave sites are only marked with a small marble square with a number etched in the top. There is no hint as to the identity of the soldier buried there. Who lived? Who died? Who will tell the story? These 2313 graves (a few contain multiple bodies) are the unknowns. Why don’t we know their names? How can somebody become an unknown? If it is a mystery, is there a way to solve it?
In this article, we will address the unknowns and the questions raised about them. Is there any way in this age of modern science to place a name on a grave and tell the story of the deceased? Or will their names be forever lost in history?