County of Cemetery: Pulaski County
Location of Cemetery: Walnut St. (IL-37), N. of Mound City
Number of Graves: The first patients at Mound City Hospital were from the Battle of Belmont (KY), Nov. 7, 1861. Heavy fighting at Ft. Donelson, Feb. 13-16, 1862 and Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862 brought many patients to the hospitls in Cairo and Mound City. Death rate was high. In 1864 when the cemetery opened original interments from the hospitals numbered 1,644. Additional re-interments from isolated locations along the Mississippi, Ohio and Cache rivers brought the 1869 total to 4,808. Of that number, 2,441 were unidentified. Today there are 2,637 unknowns in this cemetery. with total interments over 5,500.
The act to estblish National Cemeteries is posted in the cemetery. The text of that Marker:
AN ACT
TO ESTABLISH AND TO PROTECT NATIONAL CEMETERIES.
APPROVED FEBRUARY 22, 1867.
* * * *
Section 3.And be it further enacted. That any person who shall willfully destroy, mutilate, deface, injure, or remove any monument, gravestone, or other structure, or shall willfully destroy, cut, break, injure, or remove any tree, shrub, or plant within the limits of any said National Cemeteries, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof before any District of Circuit Court of the United States within any State of District where any of said National Cemeteries are situated, shall be liable to a fine of not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars, or to imprisonment of not less than fifteen nor more than sixty days, according to the nature and aggravation of the offense. And the Superintendent in charge of any National Cemetery is hereby authorized to arrest forthwith any person engaged in committing any misdemeanor herein prohibited, and to bring each person before any United States Commissioner of any District or Circuit Court of the United States, within any State or District where any said Cemeteries are situated, for the purpose of holding said person to answer for said misdemeanor, and then and there make complaint in due form.
[Bottom of Cannon]:
United States
National Military Cemetery
MOUND CITY.
ESTABLISHED 1864.
INTERMENTS 4827.
KNOWN 2367.
UNKNOWN 2460.
General Orders as Posted in Cemetery:
General Orders
No. 80.
WAR DEPARTMENT,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE
Washington, September 1, 1876.
I. Information having been received of the desecration of soldiers' graves by picnic parties in National Cemetery, and by vending refreshments therin. It is hereby ordered that hereafter no such practices shall be allowed in any National Cemetery, nor any adjoining ground within the control of the United States.
II.
VISITORS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
in the National Cemeteries
BEFORE SUNRISE OR AFTER SUNSET.
No refreshments will be taken into these Cemeteries.
III
In National Cemeteries where driving is permitted,
THE SPEED MUST BE CONFINED TO A WALK,
If it is found difficult to enforce this rule at any Cemetery the gates will be closed over the carriageway and all driving prohibited.
IV.
These Orders will be conspicuously posted at the main entrance of each National Cemetery, and will be rigidly enforced by the Superintendents.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:
E.D. TOWNSEND,
Adjutant General.