History of Antietam National Cemetery (page 18)

by the United States Burial Corps, detailed by the General Government for the purpose, under the superintendence of Lieutenant JOHN W. SHERER, and they continued their work until January, 1867, when, by reason of the severity of the weather, operations in that department were stopped. There had been removed up to that time about three thousand bodies. They resumed work in April, 1867, and finished their work in August of the same year. The local Trustees did not confine their action to the removal of the dead who fell at the battle of Antietam, but deemed it proper, at the suggestion of the authorities at Washington, to remove all the Federal dead who had been buried in Washington, Alleghany and Frederick counties, Maryland, believing that course to be in accordance with the patriotic spirit with which the appropriations were made for the establishment of the Cemetery. They were exhumed, placed in coffins, and delivered to the Superintendent, who buried them at the expense of the Association. In the burial of the dead every coffin was numbered, and a corresponding number entered in a book kept for this purpose, with the name, company, regiment and State, when they could be ascertained, so that, at any time, by reference to the records, the location of any grave can at once be found. The dead were buried under the immediate supervision and eye of the President, who held the tape line over every coffin deposited, and entered the name, number and company in his field-book, before any earth was replaced. By his record, therefore, any body can be identified at any time, when called for.

The trenches for the reception of the bodies are six feet in width and three feet in depth, one-third of which are quarried out of solid rock, which, to a great extent, underlies the ground of the Cemetery and the surrounding country. Two feet are allowed for each body. The coffins containing the bodies were furnished free of charge, through the generosity of the General Government.

A peculiarity characteristic of this Cemetery, and which