{"id":114897,"date":"2024-03-14T07:05:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T11:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/?p=114897"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:32:52","slug":"075-bivouac-of-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Object 75: \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d Tablet"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:650px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 figure{max-width:650px;}.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .image-is-svg, .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image114897_6f5f7b-a7\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"915\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg?w=915\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg?w=915\" alt=\"Tablet at Mobile National Cemetery of \u201cBivouac of the Dead.&quot;\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-114894\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27915%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20915%20643%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27915%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg?resize=300,211 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg?resize=600,422 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg?resize=768,540 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-Plaque-LOC.jpg 915w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Tablet at Mobile National Cemetery inscribed with the opening stanza of the 1850 poem \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d by Theodore O\u2019Hara. The plaque bearing O\u2019Hara\u2019s timeless lament to soldiers lost in battle has been installed at national cemeteries throughout the VA system. (Library of Congress)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mounted plaque stands in front of the headstones at Mobile National Cemetery in Alabama. The dark, cast-aluminum tablet draws a stark contrast to the sea of pearly marble beyond. Across its face in white lettering runs the sorrowful first stanza of Theodore O\u2019Hara\u2019s elegiac poem, \u201cBivouac of the Dead,\u201d beginning with the verse \u201cThe muffled drum\u2019s sad roll has beat \/ The Soldier\u2019s last tattoo; \/ No more on life&#8217;s parade shall meet \/ That brave and fallen few.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tablets bearing passages from O\u2019Hara\u2019s poem can be found in dozens of VA national cemeteries across the country. Originally written to honor the Kentucky volunteers who died in the Mexican War (1846-48), the poem now&nbsp;serves as a literary memorial to all lives lost in service to the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:250px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf figure{max-width:250px;}.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .image-is-svg, .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image114897_1c3903-bf img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_1c3903-bf .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image114897_1c3903-bf\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1702\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?w=399\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?w=399\" alt=\"Engraving of Theodore O\u2019Hara.\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-114893\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271702%27%20height%3D%272560%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201702%202560%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271702%27%20height%3D%272560%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=199,300 199w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=399,600 399w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=768,1155 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=931,1400 931w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=1021,1536 1021w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg?resize=1362,2048 1362w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-OHara-scaled.jpg 1702w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Engraving based on a daguerreotype of Theodore O\u2019Hara. A man of many talents, he was, by turn, a lawyer, newspaper editor, and soldier, but he earned lasting fame for one of his few attempts at poetry. (archive.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born in Danville, Kentucky, in 1820, Theodore O\u2019Hara studied law as a young man and secured a position in the U.S. Treasury in 1845. However, the allure of soldiering was too strong for him. When the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846, he left his desk job and obtained a commission as a captain in the U.S. Army. He was promoted to brevet major for his gallant conduct in the campaign that led to the fall of the Mexican capital in 1847. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few years later, O\u2019Hara took command of a contingent of Kentucky men who were veterans of the Mexican conflict and joined the extra-legal 1850-51 filibustering expedition to Cuba that sought to overthrow Spanish colonial rule on the island. The venture failed and he was wounded in a skirmish. Returning to Kentucky, he settled into work as a journalist. He took up arms once again at the start of the Civil War, joining the Confederate Army at the rank of colonel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Hara saw action in several major battles and survived the war, but he succumbed to typhoid fever in 1867 at the age of 47. Buried in Columbus, Georgia, he was subsequently reinterred in the state cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1874 at the behest of the Kentucky legislature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Hara was a man of letters and in the 1850s he enjoyed considerable success as a writer and editor at several major newspapers. But he also dabbled in poetry and his literary reputation rests largely on \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d and another poem he authored, a tribute to \u201cThe Old Pioneer, Daniel Boone.\u201d He wrote \u201cBivouac\u201d of the Dead\u201d to eulogize the many Kentucky soldiers who perished while fighting off a much larger Mexican force at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1850, the Kentucky legislature built a memorial to the fallen men at the cemetery in Frankfort, where many of them were buried after their remains were returned from Mexico. O\u2019Hara\u2019s poem was published the same year in the newspaper he was editing, <em>The Franklin Yeoman<\/em>.&nbsp; The final stanza references the newly raised monument and the men interred beneath: \u201cYon marble minstrel&#8217;s voiceless stone \/ In deathless song shall tell, \/ When many a vanquished ago has flown, \/ The story how ye fell; \/ Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter&#8217;s blight, \/ Nor Time&#8217;s remorseless doom, \/ Shall dim one ray of glory&#8217;s light \/ That gilds your deathless tomb.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image114897_655a3e-db.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:400px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_655a3e-db.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image114897_655a3e-db figure{max-width:400px;}.kb-image114897_655a3e-db .image-is-svg, .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image114897_655a3e-db img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image114897_655a3e-db img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image114897_655a3e-db img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_655a3e-db .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image114897_655a3e-db\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"957\" height=\"847\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg?w=600\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg?w=600\" alt=\"O\u2019Hara\u2019s poem resonated with soldiers during the Civil War.\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-114892\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27957%27%20height%3D%27847%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20957%20847%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27957%27%20height%3D%27847%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg?resize=300,266 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg?resize=600,531 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg?resize=768,680 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-BoD-tree-1864.jpg 957w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 957px) 100vw, 957px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>O\u2019Hara\u2019s poem resonated with soldiers during the Civil War, who were often in close proximity to death. This sign displaying the poem\u2019s most famous passage was nailed to a tree stripped bare during the savage fighting in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. (Library of Congress) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d was reprinted several times in other newspapers prior to the Civil War. However, its popularity did not really take off until after the war when it was widely anthologized in literary publications such as <em>Littell\u2019s Living Age <\/em>(1866) and <em>Library of Poetry and Song <\/em>(1871). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an 1874 booklet that included both O\u2019Hara poems, Kentucky historian George Ranck lauded him as the nation\u2019s \u201cone elegiac poet of acknowledged genius.\u201d Another Kentucky native and author, Susan B. Dixon, writing in the <em>New York Times<\/em> at the turn of the century, extolled \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d in equally rapturous language: \u201cIt stands out alone, perfect in its beauty, its grandeur, its harmony, its sublime pathos, its exquisite and mournful tenderness, its glory of immortal light. It is in words what the great \u201cSiegfried\u201d funeral march is in music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Besides appearing frequently in print, \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d also started turning up in cemeteries for the war dead after 1865. Lines from the poem were displayed on painted signboards at the gates and along the paths winding through the grounds. The massive archway called the McClellan gate that served as the original entrance to Arlington National Cemetery featured verses on both sides of the memorial. In the 1880s, the Army manufactured a set of seven cast-iron tablets inscribed with passages from the poem to replace the makeshift markers at the national cemeteries in its care. O\u2019Hara\u2019s name, however, was conspicuously absent from the plaques, most likely due to his service in the Confederate Army.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:650px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 figure{max-width:650px;}.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .image-is-svg, .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 img.kb-img, .kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6 .kb-img img{border-top:1px solid #000000;border-right:1px solid #000000;border-bottom:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image114897_f64e1c-c6\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=1400,1050\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=1400,1050\" alt=\"East-facing side of the McClellan Archway.\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-114896\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271600%27%20height%3D%271200%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201600%201200%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271600%27%20height%3D%271200%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=1400,1050 1400w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/075-McClellan-Gate.jpg 1600w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>East-facing side of the McClellan Archway at the original entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, with lines from the poem displayed in gold on the pediment. The pediment on the other side features a different verse. (hmdb.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the decades that followed, tablets disappeared or were removed from many cemeteries due to maintenance costs and possibly concerns about O\u2019Hara\u2019s connection to the Confederacy. By the 1990s, only 16 national cemeteries still had one or more tablets on display. &nbsp;The poem itself retained its appeal and it was frequently included in anthologies and poetry collections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2001, VA\u2019s Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, Robin L. Higgins, decided to revive the tradition of installing the poetic tablets at national cemeteries. The following year, VA awarded a contract to mass produce more than 100 cast-aluminum plaques inscribed with the first eight lines of the poem. Unlike the earlier tablets, these also included the title of the poem and, most importantly, Theodore O\u2019Hara\u2019s name. The plaques have been put in place at national cemeteries throughout the VA system, sharing O\u2019Hara\u2019s meditation on bravery and sacrifice with a new generation of visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The poem in its entirety is available at this <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cem.va.gov\/history\/BODpoem.asp\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>link<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The mounted plaque stands in front of the headstones at Mobile National Cemetery in Alabama. The dark, cast-aluminum tablet draws a stark contrast to the sea of pearly marble beyond. Across its face in white lettering runs the sorrowful first stanza of Theodore O\u2019Hara\u2019 elegiac poem, \u201cBivouac of the Dead,\u201d beginning with the verse \u201cThe muffled drum\u2019s sad roll has beat \/ The Soldier\u2019s last tattoo; \/ No more on life&#8217;s parade shall meet \/ That brave and fallen few.\u201d Tablets bearing passages from O\u2019Hara\u2019s poem can be found in dozens of VA national cemeteries across the country. Originally written to honor the Kentucky volunteers who died in the Mexican War (1846-48), the poem now\u00a0serves as a literary memorial to all lives lost in service to the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117385,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[27,93,116,20,125],"class_list":["post-114897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-100-objects","tag-civil-war","tag-mexican-american-war","tag-monuments","tag-national-cemetery-administration","tag-national-cemetery-system"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Object 75: \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d Tablet","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/75-1-Plaque_NCA_LoC.webp?w=300","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/75-1-Plaque_NCA_LoC.webp"},"articleSection":"History of VA in 100 Objects","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)"}],"creator":["Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA History","logo":""},"keywords":["civil war","mexican-american war","monuments","national cemetery administration","national cemetery system"],"dateCreated":"2024-03-14T11:05:46Z","datePublished":"2024-03-14T11:05:46Z","dateModified":"2026-03-04T21:32:52Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Object 75: \\u201cBivouac of the Dead\\u201d Tablet\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/075-bivouac-of-the-dead\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/75-1-Plaque_NCA_LoC.webp?w=300\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/75-1-Plaque_NCA_LoC.webp\"},\"articleSection\":\"History of VA in 100 Objects\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)\"}],\"creator\":[\"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"VA History\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"civil war\",\"mexican-american war\",\"monuments\",\"national cemetery administration\",\"national cemetery system\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2024-03-14T11:05:46Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-14T11:05:46Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T21:32:52Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/department.va.gov\/p.js"},"meta_box":{"external_links":"0","endorsement":"0","subheading":"","featured_image_alt_text":"Tablet at Mobile National Cemetery inscribed with the opening stanza of the 1850 poem \u201cBivouac of the Dead\u201d by Theodore O\u2019Hara. The plaque bearing O\u2019Hara\u2019s timeless lament to soldiers lost in battle has been installed at national cemeteries throughout the VA system. (Library of Congress)","byline":"Emme Richards, Virtual Student Federal Service Intern, VA History Office","author_title":"Virtual Student Federal Service Intern, VA History Office","external_source":"","external_source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114897"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116110,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114897\/revisions\/116110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}