In the tradition of Memorial Day, our party made the usual rounds around town, then broke away to the south to discover the permanent homes of those long lost to the pages of history.
Rambling through one of our usual haunts led to the discover of the hotly contested Confederate Memorial. It had been defaced and subsequently cleansed recently. The process will likely repeat. With more than 100 years gone now, it would seem prudent to leave things as they are so that both sides of the confrontation may remember the costs of internal strife. Too many are too "offended" by history though and would rather it obliterated and forgotten to encourage more fertile ground for repeated mistakes.
Only a few short steps from the previously mentioned monument we found the grave of one Waldo Johnson, who served as senator for two different governments. He began as a Senator for the United States, attempting to aid in brokering a peace, prior to the outbreak of hostilities. In spite of his efforts as part of the Peace Convention of 1861 he was expelled, apparently for disloyalty to the government. That makes very little sense, but government seldom does. He went on to serve in the Confederate Army, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment, and was later appointed Senator for the Confederate States.
Locating, documenting, and geolocating the older graves discovered to the south took up much of the rest of the afternoon. Two of the three appeared as many others past, a well-maintained rural location surrounded by productive farmland. This is the final resting place of much of the family. They worked hard to build a new home on new land. None of them were "Southerners," but likely held fast to the belief that a State should have the right to choose a path of its own. Some died relatively young, and some even younger, but a few lived a long and fruitful life on the tallgrass prairie of west Missouri. Their graves and monuments stand testament to their struggles.
. . .
Further Reading
The Civil War Muse
Civil War Wiki
Seeing your post reminded me of visiting a Civil War site north of Selma, AL a few years ago. In the nearby cemetery is a monument I was surprised to see. It bears the inscription, "Memorial to the Union Soldiers Lost at the Battle of Old Ebenezer Church, April 1, 1865, Dedicated by the Alabama Division, UDC No. 2262, Nov 11, 1977." As my great grandfather Sherman Kirk served in the 5th Iowa Cavalry, one of the Union units which fought there, I greatly appreciate this gesture of remembrance by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Let us all let bygones be bygones.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Interesting monument you describe! Found it in Stanton, AL and adding it to the future visit list.
Delete