Final Resting Place, With Dignity

Final Resting Place, With Dignity. . Gaining control of Vicksburg and the Mississippi River cost so many lives-more than 10,000 Union dead. In the aftermath of battle, the dead were often buried hastily in makeshift graves. At hundreds of Civil War battle sites the remains of fallen soldiers lay nearly forgotten, scattered in woods, fields, and roadside ditches., National cemeteries were created in 1862 to provide a remedy, proper and honorable burials for the men who died in service. Established in 1866, Vicksburg National Cemetery holds the remains of 17,000 Union servicemen-more than any other national cemetery and about 1,000 veterans of other U.S. conflicts., To Honor and Remember , At the close of the Civil War, the federal government conducted a massive search for the temporary graves of Union soldiers and sailors. The remains of nearly 300,000 men were eventually reburied in national cemeteries. Many have never been identified, their graves marked by simple square blocks., National cemeteries were initially for Union burials only. The remains of about 5,000 Confederate veterans who died at Vicksburg lie in Cedar Hill Cemetery, in an area called "Soldiers' Rest." , [Photo captions] , Top right: Soldiers prepare bodies for burial , Background: Officer's circle, 1940 Postcard.