HISTORY OF MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
The current traditions and practices of honoring fallen soldiers have had a long and interesting evolution. What began as an afterthought during the Revolutionary War is now a maxim of the Soldier’s Creed. We will look back, beginning with the Revolutionary War, and discover how the idea to “never leave a fallen comrade” became so important.
The Revolutionary War and the reasons for it shaped the culture of America and the manner that America tends to her dead. The war involved the entire country in a way that previous wars did not. The army was comprised entirely of militia. Every male between the ages of 16 and 60 was required to serve. The responsibility to create and protect this new nation fell on the whole of the nation and not just a small minority. Whole communities would often feel the loss of the young men who had left to fight. The first year of the war brought on large numbers of casualties. These large battles were often fought close to the strategic ground of the cities. The reality of war came to the doorsteps of America. They saw battle fields left with the dead bodies still littering the ground, uncared for, and left to the ravages of the elements. Battlefields were always left in the hands of the victor. Often, the victors would only have the time to take care of their own dead. If the were chasing the enemy, there was often not time enough for that. Time and the lack of technology to preserve the bodies required quick burials often in shallow unmarked graves or in large mass graves. Fighting the war was a priority; the dead were dead and would have to wait. Pressure from the public brought about legislation from Congress that would give guidance and requirements for the caring of the war dead. The laws required the military to bury the dead and return all of the soldier’s personal effects to the family. However, we do see the beginnings of military honors provided by the military whenever the situation provided the opportunity. Early accounts from journals describe many of these funerals. Some of the honors in the journals describe a scene that would begin with the soldier’s unit forming outside of his tent. While drummers played, the body would be born to the gravesite by six soldiers from the man’s unit. A religious service would be performed, and three volleys would be fired over the grave after the body had been interred. The honor afforded officers did not differ much from those of the enlisted man. This would be the start of recognizing the sacrifices of the individual common citizen.
The firing of three volleys over the grave of a soldier can be traced back to the Roman Empire. After the burial rites, the Romans would shout the name of the deceased three times to insure that it would never be forgotten. This practice was passed to the English and then to the American colonies. More often than not, the deceased would be buried quickly with only the three volleys being fired. This practice had a dual purpose. It not only rendered honors to the dead, but was also used to signal the end of cease-fire agreements that were often negotiated to allow for the burial of the dead.
