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Lying side-by-side are the graves of Leighton G. Forsythe and Jesse H. Forsythe, the only known pair of brothers interred here at the National Cemetery. Both were privates in the 4th US Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War. Older brother Leighton had enlisted under his real name, but twenty-two years old Jesse enlisted under the name Charles Dunn. This was probably because the brothers wanted to stay together and military policy forbade brothers from serving in the same regiment. They managed to serve together, they would also die together. The brothers were killed on August 7, 1898 when they were struck near Potomac Run, six miles north of Fredericksburg, by a train on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Why they were there is unclear. They may have been walking toward Brooke, VA to catch a train to Washington DC where their unit was camped.

Graves #6632 and #6633: Leighton and Jesse Forsythe

August 8, 1898 article in the Evening Star about the deaths of the two brothers

Where Valor Proudly Sleeps: A History of Fredericksburg National Cemetery, 1866-1933, by Donald C Pfanz

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Leighton G. Forsythe, Private, Co. B, 4th U.S. Infantry, Spanish-American War, 27 years old. Jesse H. Forsythe, Private, Co. A, 4th U.S. Infantry, Spanish-American War, 22 years old. Leighton and Jesse are the only known brothers buried in the National Cemetery. They died together after being struck by a train near Fredericksburg. 

In 1865 the Civil War was over, but the United States faced perhaps the biggest disaster clean up in its history. Homes and cities in ruins, the economy suffering, and millions of soldiers to care for, both the living and the dead. Despite efforts to properly care for the dead during the war, most burials had not been organized well. Original efforts to take care of the dead in this area occurred in June 1865 when a party of men under Brevet Major James M. Moore searched the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, marking graves and consolidating the unburied into cemeteries on the battlefield. By June 24th they had buried almost 1500 skeletons, erecting 785 known headstones and many unknown ones over the graves. The job was far from complete, however, since they missed many of the bodies and the fields at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg still needed attention.In 1866 the War Department decided to consolidate the Union 15,000 burials contained by a 30 miles radius around Fredericksburg in one cemetery. This would include the scattered graves from as far north as Manassas, south as North Anna, east as Warsaw, and west as Mine Run. Originally, loyal citizens championed for the city Fairgrounds where many of the Union dead from the Battle of Fredericksburg were already buried. The planners found, however, that the water table was only three feet below the surface, making the area unsuitable for burials. Moore returned and suggested that the cemetery be placed on Willis Hill, the southern end of Marye’s Heights. Moore initially condemned eight acres of Douglas H. Gordon’s 23.5 acre lot on Willis Hill, later purchasing twelve acres of the land for $250 an acre. Meanwhile construction of the cemetery began in June 1866, more than two years before an official deed was signed for the land.The work of the burial corps began in May 1866 by US soldiers stationed in Fredericksburg, but by June the government was paying former slaves, Irish Immigrants, and Confederate veterans $15 a month plus lodging and rations to do the work. Their camp was at the foot of Willis Hill, just across from where the visitor center stands today. It took until the fall of 1868 to finish the work of disinterring the dead from the battlefield, transferring them to the cemetery (which could be miles away, depending on the location of the burial), and reinterring them. The cemetery was not blocked out by state, unit, or battlefield; instead; bodies were buried as they came in to the cemetery. Known burials represent a small percentage of the graves in the cemetery; just 2,643 burials (16.5%) are known and they are representing by the “Civil War type” headstones. 12,770 burials representing 83.5% of the men here, are unknown. Many of these men were buried hastily on the field or in mass graves with no way to identify the bodies later. For some of these men, their graves were originally marked or their bodies left with an identifier. For example, in 1939 W. M. Buckley donated to the park a small stone with the name “Dan” scratched on it. The stone was found beside a skeleton on the Chancellorsville battlefield, most likely as an identifier so friends could come back and locate the body. Unfortunately for “Dan” and thousands of other soldiers these identifiers were lost before they were buried and they now lie under “unknown” markers here in the cemetery. To aggravate matters many of the original wooden headstones were lost or taken for firewood. The unknown markers you see today are the smaller square stones; the top number indicates the plot number while the bottom number is how many bodies are buried in that plot. There are anywhere between one and twelve bodies in each unknown grave. With the large number of unknown burials (7 out of every 8), the burial corps decided to save time and space by placing multiple bodies in a grave. Soldiers who are grouped together in these graves primarily came from the same locations on the field, and may have served in the same regiment or been buried together originally. Space was an issue in the parcel of land on Willis Hill; if each of the 15,436 burials had received an individual grave, they would have needed a cemetery plot of 30 acres. In addition to graves with multiple burials, the burial corps also terraced the front slope of Willis Hill to prevent erosion and provide for more flat space for graves.Although the majority of Civil War soldiers were buried in the cemetery by 1868, the discovery of bodies and burials continued for decades afterwards. The last orderly internment of remains was in 1868; after that new burials were placed in different locations of the cemetery.After the bodies of the Civil War dead were buried, the national cemeteries opened up to the burials of eligible veterans, their spouses, and dependent children. The last Civil War soldier buried in the National Cemetery was Private Evander Willis, who is buried with his wife, Lucy Sprague Willis. Evander enlisted in December 1863 in the 8th Vermont Infantry and was mustered out in 1865. After the war, the Willis family owned “Ellwood,” which is part of our Wilderness Battlefield. When Evander died in October 1935, he and his wife were buried here under a Civil War style stone.In addition to Civil War soldiers, the cemetery has burials from the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, as well as roughly twenty military spouses buried with their husbands. The last soldier buried in a separate grave was Harry Bankard in 1945. Bankard was not the last soldier buried here; that honor goes to Admol Jett who was buried four years later in the same plot as his father. The final burials in the cemetery would be the spouses of soldiers already buried here. The cemetery has been closed to new burials since the 1940s. Today if a soldier is found buried within the park, they are not reinterred into the National Cemetery. Instead their grave is marked and the remains not disturbed. You can find a few of these marked graves at Chatham and outside the Chancellorsville Visitor Center.

The Fredericksburg National Cemetery, located in the heart of Fredericksburg, VA is a cemetery where more than 15,000 Union soldiers that died in the battles stretching between Washington, DC And Richmond, VA are buried. This cemetery is one of the 14 cemeteries run by the National Park Service. During the Civil War, there were four major battles in Fredericksburg. The Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Wilderness and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. There were more than 100,000 deaths within a 20-mile radius of Fredericksburg. US Congress ordered for there to be a cemetery in Fredericksburg in order to give the thousands of casualties a proper burial. Since the Civil War, a few soldiers have been buried in this cemetery from the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. 

The Fifth Corps lost more than 2,000 men attacking Marye’s Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Many years later, the Corps’ commander, Daniel Butterfield, sponsored the monument that stands at the entrance of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery: I have always felt that the magnificent services of the Fifth Corps on the occasion of the battle of Fredericksburg, as well as on other fields, deserve a lasting memorial. As I read the order issued by me after the battle, I feel today the same heartfelt appreciation that (it) expresses, and it gives me great pleasure to place a lasting memorial of enduring granite to record my feeling towards the Fifth Crops...over the graves not only of the many brave men of the corps who are buried there, but also in honor of all the gallant and splendid soldiers in that famous battle. Illness kept Butterfield away from Fredericksburg, however, and he never saw the monument constructed or dedicated. In May 1900, the Society of the Army of the Potomac held its 31st annual reunion in Fredericksburg (and event attended by many dignitaries including President William McKinley); as part of the celebrations, the cornerstone was laid for the Fifth Corps Monument. Lt. Col. Edward Hill, now buried in the cemetery in grave #6640) spoke at the dedication of the monument. Hill served with the 16th Michigan and is one of the highest ranking officers buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Hill also has the distinction of being just one of two soldiers buried here to have earned the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.  Four months after the ceremony Hill died and is buried here near the spot where he delivered his speech. The monument was officially dedication on Memorial Day in 1901, two months before Butterfield’s death.

The Fifth Corps monument honors the men of that corps lost attacking Marye's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Major General Daniel Butterfield who commanded the Corps at Fredericksburg sponsored the monument and the cornerstone was laid in May 1900. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1901.

Fifth Corps Monument

Urbane Bass, buried at the end of what is named Officers Row, was the first African-American commissioned officer buried in the National Cemetery. A graduate of the Leonard Medical School of Shaw University in Raleigh, NC, Bass moved to Fredericksburg in 1909 and served as its first Black physician until the outbreak of World War I. Despite the continued segregation of the army, Urbane offered his services for the Army Medical Corps in an April 1917 letter to the secretary of war. He served in France as a lieutenant in the 372 US 93 Division. He would earn the Distinguished Service Cross for the October 1918 action which cost him his life. Attending to the wounded under severe shell fire, he was struck by a shell which severed both of his legs. Despite the aid of his hospital attendants, Urbane died a few minutes later. Only 36 when he died, Bass left behind a wife and four children. Maude, who is buried beside her husband, stayed in Fredericksburg until 1922, then moved to Raleigh, NC where she taught music to the blind for thirty years at the North Carolina State School for the Blind. Thirty-two when Urbane died, she never remarried and lived to the age of 100, dying in October 1986.

Urbane Bass, Lieutenant, Sanitary Detachment, 372nd Infantry, 93rd Division. Killed October 7, 1918 in France and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions October 1-6, 1918 attending to the wounded under fire. Bass was Fredericksburg's first Black physician after graduating from Leonard Medical School and he offered his services to the US Army despite the military still being segregated. He was reburied in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery in 1921 and was the first burial of an African American commissioned officer in the cemetery. His wife, Maude Bass, is buried in the grave next to his.

Grave #10, Officers Row: Urbane Bass

The 127th Pennsylvania was a nine-month regiment, organizing in August 1862 and disbanding in May 1863. The unit participated in just two engagements, the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Second Battle of Fredericksburg in May 1863. Because Fredericksburg was the only field they fought on, the regiment placed its monument here. The Pennsylvania legislature appropriated $3,000 for the project and Governor Samuel Pennypacker appointed a five-man commission to oversee the construction. The monument was dedicated on June 26, 1906 in front of veterans and dignitaries.

The 127th Pennsylvania was a nine-month regiment, organizing in August 1862 and disbanding in May 1863. The unit participated in just two engagements, the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Second Battle of Fredericksburg in May 1863. Because Fredericksburg was the only field they fought on, the regiment placed its monument here. The Pennsylvania legislature appropriated $3,000 for the project and Governor Samuel Pennypacker appointed a five-man commission to oversee the construction. The monument was dedicated on June 26, 1906 in front of veterans and dignitaries.

127th Pennsylvania Monument

Captain Oscar Angell of Co. D, 10th New York had an adventurous time as a soldier. From the regimental history:He had enlisted as a private in Company A, of the National Zouaves, in April 1861, and served as orderly-sergeant until the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, where he was taken prisoner. Escaping from Belle Isle soon after by swimming the James River, he reached the Union lines and was given a position in the secret service corps, where he experienced a series of adventures and hair-breadth escapes in the performance of the duties devolving upon him. In the winter of 1862 he was commissioned second-lieutenant in his regiment, and again, in April following as first-lieutenant. He received his last commission of captain a few weeks before his death. From the first he had been popular with the regiment, sharing its privations and hardships without murmuring. Always the impersonation of enthusiasm upon the battlefield, in his last battle he acted with daring, until two wounds put a final end to his patriotism. His nature was truly “generous to a fault.Angell was killed at Spotsylvania, although the regimental history and other records disagree on whether he died On May 10th, 11th, or 14th. According to the regimental account, he was wounded on May 6th but remained in command, then was hit in the left arm on May 10th and shortly after mortally wounded. He was taken to a field hospital where he died, presumably on one of the disputed dates.

Oscar F. Angell, Captain, Co. D, 10th New York. Enlisted April 27, 1861 at New York City and described as 5'8" with blue eyes and dark hair. He was captured in 1862 at Gaines Mill and paroled in October 1862. He re-mustered into the regiment in January 1863, was promoted to captain of Co. D in March 1864, and died at Spotsylvania in May 1864.

Grave #772: Oscar Angell

Every soldier buried in this cemetery was a casualty of war, but not all of them were casualties of battle. Disease took the lives of more men than did the ravages of combat, becoming the leading cause of death during the Civil War. This toll began early in the war, earlier even than battle for many of these men. The process of bringing thousands of men together into close contact, men who had been exposed to different diseases back home allowed sickness to spread quickly through the camps. Some of the first casualties suffered by a regiment were often before the men had even seen battle.  Private Andrew Courtright was the first man to die in the 15th New Jersey, perishing of typhoid fever at a regimental hospital at Stafford Court House on November 23, 1862. Being their first casualty, the regiment buried Courtright with reverence. Boards were foraged for a coffin and the recently arrived regimental band proceeded with the body to its final resting spot where the chaplain gave a benediction and oversaw the firing of three volleys: On November 23, after Chaplain Alanson Haines conducted services for the brigade, he was summoned to the Fifteenth’s hospital tent. There, amid the suffering soldiers laying on the hard ground with no comfort save their blankets, Private Andrew Courtright was dying of Typhoid Fever. As the chaplain told Courtright to trust in Christ, the private’s throat rattled and he was gone. Courtright was the first man to die on active service with the Fifteenth, and the regiment buried him with a reverence born of unfamiliarity. Boards were forages for a rough coffin and Courtright was marched to his grave to the strains of “Yankee Doodle,” played by the recently arrived brigade band. He was interred with the Chaplain’s benediction and three volleys of musketry. As the war continued, there would be no time for funeral ceremonies; Courtright benefited with his comrade’s unfamiliarity with war.

Andrew Courtright, Private, Co. I, 15th New Jersey, enlisted June 28, 1862, died November 23, 1862 of Typhoid Fever. Private Andrew Courtright was the first man to die in the Fifteenth New Jersey, perishing of typhoid fever at a regimental hospital at Stafford Court House, VA on November 23, 1862. 

Grave #1000: Andrew Courtright

Colonel Joseph Moesch is honored by one of the few privately funded headstones in the cemetery. Colonel Moesch commanded the 83rd New York, and is the 2nd highest ranking officer buried in the cemetery. The thirty-two year old officer was killed at the Wilderness May 6, 1864 while leading his regiment. His body was carried to the division hospital, placed in a rude coffin, and originally buried in the cemetery at Ellwood. The two men who buried him remembered the location of his grave and he was reinterred in the National Cemetery in 1887. Cemetery Superintendent Andrew Birdsall oversaw the interment of Moesch’s remains into the National Cemetery on October 10, 1887 in grave #6618. Shortly afterwards, veterans of his regiment planned to place a monument on his grave. These plans were delayed because the regiment was also raising funds for its monument at Gettysburg, but once the Gettysburg monument was finished they turned their attention back to the Moesch monument. The monument was dedicated on September 24, 1890 in a ceremony largely attended by regiment veterans. Fredericksburg National Cemetery is a soldier’s cemetery. There are no generals buried here and only a few field officers. The vast majority of the soldiers interred here are enlisted men or company-grade officers who are not represented by a monument like that dedicated to Humphreys’ men. Their memories are honored by a simple stone marker of which you will mainly see two types. Those shaped like a headstone mark the gravesites of identified soldiers. The smaller, square stones mark the graves of the unknown. These stone carry two numbers: the top number identifies the plot, the bottom number tells the number of bodies in that plot. There are also larger white headstones which mark the graves of soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. Of the 15,00 Union soldiers buried here, 85%--17 out of every 20—are unknown.

Colonel Joseph Moesch commanded the 83rd New York Infantry and was killed May 6, 1864 at the Wilderness. Moesch's remains were recovered and reinterred in the National Cemetery in 1887 and the veterans of the 83rd NY placed this monument at his grave. This is one of the few privately funded and unique headstones in the cemetery. 

Moesch Monument

Charles Henry Wissner served in the Spanish-American War, enlisting in the 8th PA in June 1989. Prior to the war Charles pursued academic degrees at Hampden-Sydney College, Yale, and the University of Leipzig (Germany), and attended the Union Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in his 20s and served as pastor of several churches before joining the army. During the war, he was stationed in the Philippines, returning to Fredericksburg in 1902 to open the Wissner School, a private college and business prep school. He ran this school until he died of a heart attack on January 16, 1919.

Charles Henry Wissner, Spanish-American War. Enlisted in Co. C, 8th Pennsylvania Infantry on June 13, 1898 and later transferred to Co. H, 19th U.S. Infantry. A native of Fredericksburg, he died January 16, 1919 at 51 years old. He has one of the few private (non-military) headstones in the cemetery. 

Grave #6669: Charles Henry Wissner

The 13th New Hampshire experienced their first regimental death in the passing of sixteen year old Ira Whitaker. He died in Falmouth on January 15, 1863 from the measles. His death and burial was described in the unit's regimental history:Jan. 15. Thurs. Rainy at night. Burial of Ira M. Whitaker of Co. G at 3 p.m. Died of the measles. The excitement in camp is now worse and worse indeed. Capt. Stoodley and Private John B. Stevens of G make for Whitaker a coffin of three cracker-boxes placed end to end, and nailed to a couple of saplings. The simple burial of a private soldier is one of the saddest scenes on earth at any time, but here departs a mere boy but sixteen years old. Whitaker’s is the first death in Company G. A man’s own company forms the usual procession on such occasions, any friends joining who may choose to do so. A bottle well corked and sealed, and containing the man’s man, regiment, home address, etc., is usually laid in the grave with his body. The burial is not prolonged: the slow march, the arms reversed, the muffled drum, the piercing fife, the dirge—often the Portuguese Hymn, but more often the Dead March in Saul—the platoon fire over the grave, the quickstep march back to camp, two men left to close the grave, and all is done.Whitaker benefited from his comrades freshness as soldiers; he not only received a coffin and funeral procession, but a sealed bottle containing his information was buried with him. It was most likely this identification that prevented him from an unknown grave when he was reinterred in the National Cemetery. As the war dragged on, these scenes would become more and more rare as the burial of the dead became hasty and anonymous out of necessity.

Ira Whitaker, Private, Co. G, 13th New Hampshire. Mustered in September 19, 1862 at 16 years of age. Died January 15, 1863 of Measles at Falmouth, VA and was originally buried at Phillips Farm. He was the regiment's first death and his comrades buried him with a sealed bottle containing information about his identity. 

Grave #2086: Ira Whitaker

After the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Federals and Confederates settled into winter encampment across the Rappahannock River from each other. As the armies managed through the cold months and prepared for the spring campaigning season, disease continued to ravage the camps. One such casualty was Jophanus J. Lowell, a private in the 17th Maine. A farmer before the war Lowell enlisted in August 1862 at the age of 18 years old. He would survive the engagement of Fredericksburg, but just narrowly. While engaged on the southern end of the battlefield, a shell fragment tore through his knapsack scattering his personal belongings but leaving him unscathed. He was charged $4.54 for the destroyed articles. His near miss during battle would not stop death from finding him two months later. He would contract typhoid fever and die on February 11, 1863 at a regimental hospital near Falmouth, another casualty of camp life. While not the glorious death most soldiers preferred, death from disease was an ever-present reality to the Civil War soldier.

Jophanus J. Lowell, Private, Co. G, 17 Maine. Age 18, from Farmington, ME, described at enlistment as 5'8" with blue eyes, dark complexion, and brown hair. Mustered in August 18, 1862, died February 11, 1863 of Typhoid Fever at regimental hospital near Falmouth. Originally buried at Mackey's Farm, Stafford, VA. 

Grave #1634: Jophanus Lowell

Walter Ames of the 147th New York was called to the regimental hospital of the 14th Ohio to claim the body of his brother Nathan. Nathan’s heath had been failing for several days before he died on January 9, 1863 and he was described as “nothing but skin and bones.” Walter intended to receive a furlough so he could take his brother home, but that must have failed because a regimental detail buried him on January 12 and he now lies in grave #2616.  From the Diary of John H. Merrell: January 5, 1863: “I went up to see Nate Ames. He looks very bad. I think that he is falling away very…”January 9: “…remainder of the night. He was falling away very fast when I left him and at 4 o’clock this afternoon he departed this life. I went up and helped lay him out. He was reduced to nothing but skin and bones. We carried his remained up to the hospital tent. We sent word to his brother who came right down here to see him. He is going to get a furlough and take the corpse home.”January 12: “Everything is going as usual with the exception of our burying Nathan Ames. I was detailed to take a squad of men and bury him. They did not bury him as they did Faring. I presume it was because he was not quite so popular. I took only 6 men and buried him in the same grave that we dug for Faring.”

Nathan/Newton Ames, first served with Co. I, Ohio Volunteer Militia from April 22,1861 to August 13, 1861 (a three month enlistment). He then enlisted in Co. H, 1st Regiment Light Artillery on September 28, 1861. He was 26 years old at enlistment and described as 5'8" with blue eyes and light hair. He was a Blacksmith by trade. He married Elvira Dingman on April 8, 1856 and they had two children named Delbert and Ernest. Ames died on January 9, 1863 from chronic diarrhea/dysentery.  

Grave #2616 Newton (Nathan) Ames

24 year old George Annable died on January 20, 1862, his death highlighted in the regimental history of the 12th New Hampshire:Little is known of the birth and parentage of this higher type of manhood and true Christian, except he was born in Canada East, in 1838, his father and family moving into the states some time after. At the age of seven, then weighing only forty pounds, he went to live with Capt. Parker Howe, of Holderness, where he remained most of the time until his enlistment, and is remembered by the family as a “good boy and a good Christian.” He was in the battle of Fredericksburg, although taken prisoner before on the march to Falmouth, but soon exchanged. He died from the effect of measles, closing his own eyes, and lay dead on his cot with his fingers on his eye lids, and a beautiful smile on his countenance; a complete victory of the Christian solder over a worse than rebel foe.George's mother, Matilda Moulton, applied for a Mother's Pension after his death. 51 years old and twice widowed, she could request a pension because George left no wife or children behind as dependents.

George Annable, Private, Co. E, 12 New Hampshire. Enlisted August 20, 1862 at 24 years old and described as 5'7" with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and blonde hair. Annable died January 20, 1863 of disease (Typhoid Fever or Measles) and was originally buried at Primmer's Farm. Because Annable had no wife or children, his mother earned a pension after his death.

Grave #2345: George Annable

Harry J. Bankard, Private, Co. K, 2nd Virginia Infantry National Guard, World War I. One of the last soldiers buried in a separate grave was Harry Bankard. He served in Company K, 2nd Virginia Infantry National Guard and was discharged in July 1916. After his service he was a watchman for the Janney-Marshall Company until he left Fredericksburg to move to Maryland. He died while walking down Princess Anne Street on June 19, 1945 on a visit back to his hometown.  

Grave #6765: Harry Bankard

The ridge on which you are now standing, called Marye’s Heights, was a Confederate artillery position in two battles. In the First Battle of Fredericksburg, fought on December 13, 1862, nine guns of the Washington artillery of New Orleans fired down upon Union soldiers stretched out across what was then an open plain. Eight thousand Union soldiers were killed or wounded in multiple unsuccessful attempts to seize these heights. The following spring, during the Chancellorsville Campaign, Union forces again attacked Marye’s Heights. The Confederates had a small force defending the hill, and this time the Federals succeeded in taking it. During that second battle, soldiers of Capt. William Parker’s battery manned two guns on the southern end of this ridge, in addition to five guns of the Washington Artillery. Soldiers in the army called this unit the “Boy Company” because many of its men were so young. When Union troops broke through the Confederate line, a few hundred yards to the north of here—near the modern-day Richardson House—they swept in behind Parker’s men and captured the guns.  The battery’s involvement in the Second Battle of Fredericksburg went largely unnoticed until a descendent of Lieutenant J. Thompson who had commanded the two guns visited the park. In a series of negotiations with the park, Chief Historian Robert Krick agreed to commemorate Parker’s Battery with a small monument at their position in the cemetery. This monument was dedicated on May 3, 1973, the 110th anniversary of the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. The Parker’s Battery monuments is the only Confederate monument in the National Cemetery. Despite this being a Confederate position in both battles, you will not find any Confederate soldiers buried in Fredericksburg National Cemetery. This cemetery and others like it were reserved for Union soldiers only. Confederate soldiers were buried in private graveyards throughout the south. There are two such cemeteries in this area: the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery and Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery. This monument is also the only one dedicated to Virginia troops in the Fredericksburg area and the only monument in the park connected to the Second Battle of Fredericksburg.

During the Second Battle of Fredericksburg (May 3, 1863) Capt. William Parker's battery stationed two guns here. When the Union forces successfully captured Marye's Heights the two guns were captured. A descendent of Lieutenant J. Thompson, who had commanded the two guns, worked to place a monument here and this monument was dedicated in 1973. It is the only monument in the park dedicated to Virginia troops and connected to the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. 

Parker's Battery Monument

One of three brothers who all enlisted together, Eli was a lawyer in Millville, Wisconsin before the war. Eli became ill and died on May 16, 1862 at Potomac Creek despite the care of his brother Chant who remained with him the entire time of his illness. His other brother Stanbury (sometimes spelled Stambury) wrote somewhat bitterly to his parents about Eli’s death saying that he had not received proper care, that he had only a bed of straw to lay on, and that there were men working in the hospital who did not care whether a man lived or died.There is another element to the story of Eli Hitchcock and his brothers. Eli’s name is on this gravestone, but it may be Stanbury who is buried there. After being wounded at South Mountain, Stanbury would die on May 10, 1864 at Laurel Hill during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Originally buried on the battlefield, it was reported to his family that Stanbury was reinterred here at the national cemetery. Whether Eli or Stanbury it is likely that one of the brothers is buried here and the other lies somewhere else in the cemetery under a marker that reads unknown. Chant was captured at Gettysburg, released and returned to the regiment, was severely wounded at the Wilderness but survived, the only one of the brothers to return home.

Eli Hitchcock, Private, Co. H, 7th Wisconsin. Eli and his brothers, Stambury and Chant, all enlisted together in 1861. Eli enlisted August 29, 1861 and died of disease May 16, 1862. His brother Stambury was killed at Laurel Hill, Spotsylvania on May 10, 1864 and may be buried here or in an unknown grave in the cemetery. Eli Hitchcock had a wife, Emily, and two young daughters (Sarah Ann and Minnie) when he died. 

Grave #3028: Eli and Stanbury Hitchcock

On Memorial Day 1931, a single rose was laid on the grave of Hiram Lare in honor of this bond. John B. Cooke, a 90 year old veteran in 1931, had been a messmate of Lare’s. John was smaller, younger, and weaker than Hiram, so Hiram looked out for him like an older brother would. During the May 12th fight at Spotsylvania Hiram was killed and John wounded in the leg. John sat by the body of his friend begging for some of the boys to bury it. They did the best they could and John never heard another word about what happened to Hiram. For 67 years John wondered what happened to the body, then Major Arthur E. Wilborn, secretary of the US Memorial Park Commission, heard the story and contacted Cooke with information about his friend’s grave. The 90 year old Cooke could not travel to Fredericksburg, but he expressed his gratitude for the information and said “I wish it was possible for me to lay a rose on his grave on May 30 as a token of love and gratitude for him that has never died.” Of Hiram he said: “I was several years younger than Hiram Lare and was a frail boy as compared to his muscular frame. He was the best friend I ever had. Many times he gave me his last cracker and the last drop from his canteen. On our forty mile march one day to get into the battle of Gettysburg, he insisted on taking my gun and knapsack and it was this, in spite of my breeding, bare feet, which enabled me to enter into the battle." The rose was laid on Lare's grave by Mrs. Amy G. Olney, daughter of a Union captain, as part of Memorial Day celebrations.

Hiram Lare, private, Co. E, 95th Pennsylvania. Enlisted and mustered in on September 21, 1861 at age 21 in Philadelphia. Discharged in December 1863 and reenlisted as Veteran Volunteer the same month. Killed in action at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. A close friend ensured that Lare's body was buried on the battlefield, which likely helped ensure his grave was identified in the National Cemetery. 

Grave #3247: Hiram Lare

Corporal in the 41PA, David Stevens served in the war with his two younger brothers. He was killed on May 8, 1864 at Laurel Hill when he stopped to help a squad of men who were having trouble with a prisoner. When he ordered the man to behave himself, the prisoner picked up a rifle and shot him. In response, the rest of the guard wrenched the rifle away and beat the man to death with it. They then carried Stevens to the rear on a blanket and laid him under a pine tree. His brothers found his body there the next day and attended to his burial. Fortunately they had the opportunity to bury him properly, for when they next visited the grave a shell had ploughed into it and exploded, but did not harm the body. David left behind a widow and five children. His brothers both survived the war. William, the chaplain of the 148PA, became a member of the state legislature. Frank did not pass through unscathed, he was wounded twice at Fredericksburg and captured twice, but survived and was one of the soldiers who stood guard over President Lincoln’s casket.

David Stevens, Co. I, 41st Pennsylvania. Enlisted at 34 years old on March 12, 1862 and mustered in as corporal March 24, 1862. Promoted to sergeant November 10, 1862. Killed at Spotsylvania (Laurel Hill) May 8, 1864 and buried on the field the next day by his two younger brothers. 

Grave #3205A: David Stevens

Private Charles Sprout (he is also listed as Sprow) served with the 1 USCT Cavalry from December 12, 1863 until February 4, 1866. Prior to the war, Charles was owned by James Horace Lacy; he was a slave at Chatham which is now park headquarters for Fredericksburg &amp; Spotsylvania NMP. Sprow must have claimed his freedom for his pension file contains a note that he was free as of April 19, 1861 and he enlisted at Fort Monroe, VA which saw a large number of refugee arrivals. In his mid-twenties by the time he was discharged, Sprow later married and lived until the age of 86 when he died on February 13, 1926.Fredericksburg National Cemetery has five Civil War burials of African-American soldiers and a few from later wars. Unlike some other Civil War cemeteries, these burials are not separated from white burials. Instead, they are scattered around the cemetery. Early in the Civil War, Black men were unable to enlist as soldiers. That policy would change as more slaves fled to Union lines and the Union war aims shifted to support emancipation. From that point Black soldiers played an increasingly important role in the Union war effort. By the end of the war there were 166 Black regiments in United States service, comprising 300,000 men. These regiments were distinguished from ordinary Union unit by the title United States Colored Troops. In some cases, Black troops had non-combat roles, like guarding railroads, but this would change in the final year of the war.

Charles Sprout (or Sprow), Private, Co. E, 1st USCT Cavalry (United States Colored Troops). Enlisted December 12, 1863 at Fort Monroe, VA at age 23 and discharged February 4, 1866. Charles was a Chatham slave owned by James Horace Lacy and sought freedom in April 1861. Died February 13, 1926. 

Grave #6688 Charles Sprout/Sprow

Private Thomas Hill enlisted in the 50 USCT on January 10, 1865 as a substitute for James Emory of Walnut Grove, Illinois. Born in Tennessee around 1844 and twenty years old at enlistment, Thomas listed his occupation as a farmer. He served with this unit from January 1865 to January 1866 and was discharged in Jackson, Mississippi. He died here in Fredericksburg on October 22, 1930.

Thomas Hill, Private, Co. I, 50th USCT (United States Colored Troops). Enlisted January 10, 1865 at age 20 for one year, mustered in January 21, 1865, and served until January 9, 1866. Died at Fredericksburg, VA October 22, 1930. We have five Civil War burials of African-American soldiers and a few from later wars.  Unlike some other Civil War cemeteries, these burials are not separated from white burials.  Instead, they are scattered around the cemetery.

Grave #5492: Thomas Hill

25 year old Thomas Hewitt was killed on May 10, 1864 at Laurel Hill while serving coffee. He had been acting as cook for Major Starks, and after Starks’ death he continued those duties for other officers. After making coffee in the shelter of the woods behind the lines he brought it out to the entrenchments and while pouring it for the officers he stood erect which put his head above the breastworks. He was shot in the head and fell at the feet of the surprised officers; he quickly died.

Thomas C. Hewitt, private, Co. A, 140th New York. Enlisted August 22, 1862 and mustered in September 13, 1862. Killed in action at Laurel Hill on May 10, 1864 during the Battle of Spotsylvania. He left behind a widow, Mary, and two children: Walter Joseph Hewitt (age 5) and Frederick Thomas Hewitt (age 3).

Grave #5076: Thomas Hewitt

21-year-old Morris Ritter perished on May 8, 1864 at Spotsylvania. His regiment, the 140th NY, attacked at Laurel Hill led by their Colonel, George Ryan, who rode ahead and advanced to within three rods of the Confederate line before taking a bullet in the chest. The attack broke so quickly that most of the dead and wounded were left on the field, including the still-breathing Ryan. Ritter was one of five men who volunteered to retrieve their colonel. All five where shot down before they completed their mission; Ritter made it to Ryan but was killed while attempting to carry him back. Ryan also did not survive.

Morris Ritter, private, Co. K, 140th New York. Enlisted at age 19 on August 22, 1862 and mustered in September 13, 1862. Killed in action at Laurel Hill, May 8, 1864, during the Battle of Spotsylvania trying to retrieve Colonel George Ryan from the field. Morris supported his family back home with his pay and after his death his father secured a pension to help support his younger siblings.

Grave #5079: Morris Ritter

The Humphreys Monument, standing prominently in the center of the cemetery, commemorates the charge of Brigadier General Andrew’s Humphreys’ Pennsylvania division at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The bronze statue on the top of the pink granite pedestal depicts Humphreys himself, with his hand on his sword, scanning the eastern horizon. The Pennsylvanians participated in one of several attacks that occurred on the plains below us during the battle on December 13, 1862. From late-morning to darkness, waves of Union soldiers crossed the open fields between the town of Fredericksburg and Marye’s Heights where we are standing, attacking the Confederates who were entrenched behind the stone wall along the Sunken Road. These attacks took place in conjunction with another attack a couple miles to the south of us; all of these attacks would fail leaving the Union with a death toll of 12,653 and the Confederates with 5,377 casualties. The Battle of Fredericksburg would be Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s most lopsided victory against his Union opponents. Attacking close to sunset in one of the final Union attacks on this portion of the field on December 13th, some of the troops got to within fifty yards of the stone wall before being stopped, closer than most of their comrades. This division, composed largely of men who had never seen combat before, suffered more than 1,000 casualties and for many of these men this would be their defining action in the war. Humphreys himself had two horses shot from under him but otherwise escaped harm. Humphreys’ charge against Marye’s Heights was only one small piece of the Battle of Fredericksburg, but the multiple attacks against this position have come to define this battle and the slaughter of the Civil War. The Fredericksburg Battlefield Memorial Commission of Pennsylvania, assisted by the State of Pennsylvania, erected the monument to Humphreys and his men. When they could not find a suitable place in Fredericksburg, they decided to place the monument in the National Cemetery. The ceremony on November 11, 1908 was fairly large, with many veterans in attendance (the Pennsylvania Assembly subsidized the transportation costs of the veterans).

This monument commemorates the advance of Brigadier General Andrew A. Humphreys' division at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. The figure on top is General Humphreys and the pedestal lists the Pennsylvania units  within the Division. The monument was erected by the Fredericksburg Battlefield Memorial Commission of Pennsylvania and State of Pennsylvania and was dedicated in 1908.

Andrew Humphreys Monument

Two casualties of the Battle of Fredericksburg lie side by side, both from the same unit. James Clark and Frederick Wildt were both members of Company D, 4th Michigan. Both had enlisted in 1861 at the age of 19 to serve for three years. Frederick was first corporal of Company D and James was promoted to first lieutenant in the regiment just prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg. Both would be among the over one thousand Union soldiers killed during the battle. While attacking Marye’s Heights, James rode up to his old company and encouraged them in their advance leading one of his comrades to admonish him to keep down or he would be hit. Those words were hardly spoken when a bullet hit James on the third button of his overcoat, glanced to the left, and killed him.   Frederick was also killed instantly during that attack, shot in nearly the same place as James. Both were taken off the field by their comrades and buried in a lot in Fredericksburg.  They were buried side-by-side in separate coffins marked by a carved head board in a service attended by the captain, the company, and the regiment’s chaplain.   Today they still lie side-by-side, reinterred here in the National Cemetery, comrades in death as well as life.Frederick Wildt is buried in grave #2863; James Clark is buried in grave #2864.  “The Fourth Regiment In the Fredericksburg Fight,” Adrian Watchtower, January 5, 63:“But what shall I say of our lamented Adjutant, James Clark. But lately promoted to a Lieutenancy in the regiment, and but a day or two before the battle promoted to a 1st Lieutenant and Adjutant of the Regiment in full, and this being the first engagement he had been in as a commissioned officer, he was every where present, and by his cheerful voice encouraging his comrades on. He was the personification of heroic daring and cool bravery. After the action became general he came up, on the right, to company D of which he used to be a member, and smiling to his comrades and associates, says, “boys keep your front ranks filled,” Sergeant Chester Comstock was between him and me. One of the boys told him to keep down, or he would be hit. The words were hardly out of his mouth when a musket ball struck poor Jimmy on the third button of his overcoat, glanced to the left and went directly through him. He fell over toward where I was lying, and with a smile upon his countenance, he yielded up his young life without a struggle or a groan. I detailed four men from company D, to carry him to the rear, and put a guard over him, to protect his body from the robbers that follow in the wake of the army, for no other purpose than to pillage the dead. Brave boy, although dead to us, your memory will live in our breasts. Kind and affectionate, to all; and by his gentlemanly ways he had won the respect and admiration of the whole regiment. I wish I had the pen to write his eulogy; but it is written in the hears of all who knew him.”“And what shall I say of Fred. Wildt? He, too, was instantly killed- - shot nearly in the same place that poor Jimmy was. He was First Corporal in company D, and one of the best and neatest soldiers in the regiment, ever ready to do his duty, which was always done cheerfully and willingly; and one who kept the neatest and cleanest equipments in the company. Brave boy! He, too, has yielded up his young life upon his country’s altar. He, too, was carried to the rear; and to-day Fred. Wildt and James Clark lie side by side in Fredericksburg. Captain J.W. Hall, with the company and Chaplain of the regiment, Rev. Mr. Seage, buried them on a pretty little knoll, in separate coffins, making their graves with a carved head board, in order to find them again if necessary.” Many of the casualties from the Battle of Fredericksburg lie under “unknown” markers. After the battle, Robert E. Lee sent a message to Ambrose Burnside to send burial parties across the river to bury the Union dead. By the time, these parties began the process many of the bodies had been stripped of clothing and lain on the field for a period of time. Hastily, and under a flag of truce, Union troops buried their fallen comrades in mass graves, erasing the identities of the dead. When the bodies were reinterred in the National Cemetery, the identities of only a few could be determined. For James Clark and Fred Wildt the care taken by their comrades to bury them preserved their identities.

Frederick R. Wildt, Corporal, Co. D, 4th Michigan. James E. Clark, 1st Lieutenant, Co. D, 4th Michigan. Both enlisted at age 19 on June 20, 1861. Both killed in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. Originally buried side-by-side at Genther's Lot in Fredericksburg and reinterred together in the National Cemetery. 

Graves #2863 & #2864: Frederick R. Wildt and James E. Clark

John L. Young, Corporal, Co. B, 15th New Jersey. Enlisted July 28, 1862 and mustered in August 25, 1862. Killed in action May 12, 1864 at the Battle of Spotsylvania. 18 year old John was serving as color corporal when he was severely wounded. He managed to crawl behind a log and died with “his hands clasped in supplication.”  

Grave #2966: John L. Young

Paul Kuhl was a casualty of the fighting at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. He was shot through the leg and improvised a tourniquet out of his ramrod and handkerchief. The fighting was so severe, however, that he was shot repeatedly and would die on the field. When his friends went to retrieve the body they found he was so riddled with bullets that he was a “veritable sieve.” He was buried beside Lieutenant George Justice (Grave #3351) on the field and was lucky enough to be identified as many of his comrades were buried in mass graves.

Paul Kuhl, First Sergeant, Co. A, 15th New Jersey. Enlisted August 5, 1862 and mustered in as corporal on August 25, 1862. He was promoted to 1st sergeant April 22, 1863. Kuhl was killed in action at the Bloody Angle on May 12, 1864 during the Battle of Spotsylvania. Comrades who found him after the fighting stated that "Paul's body was nearly riddled" with bullets. 

Grave #3077: Paul Kuhl

Lieutenant Peter D. Froeligh of the 146th NY had a premonition of his death prior to the 1864 campaign. He asked the regimental barber to trim his hair because he expected to be shot in the head during the next battle and wanted the surgeon to be able to get a good look at the wound. He was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness a couple days later. Froeligh was not the support of his parents, but of his orphaned siblings. Their father died in October 1860 when he fell from a building. Twenty-one year old Peter enlisted in July 1861 and sent the money back to support his mother and five siblings. After their mother’s death in November 10, 1862 Peter’s pay was the main support for his sisters. His siblings sought a pension and younger sister Helen, still a minor, received $15 a month.

Peter D. Froeligh, lieutenant, Co. D, 146th New York. Enlisted at age 21 and described as 5'7" tall with brown hair and blue eyes. When Froeligh enlisted and mustered in on July 6, 1861 he joined the 5th New York, but the 5th was transferred to the 146th New York in May 1863. Killed in action at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864.

Grave #3834 Peter Froeligh

Froeligh originally mustered in and served for three years with the 5th New York; that unit was transferred to the 146th New York on May 4, 1863 and Peter served as lieutenant of Co. D. Before the Battle of the Wilderness Peter had a premonition of his own death. He asked the regimental barber to trim his hair as he expected to be shot in the head during the next engagement and he believed the trim would allow the surgeon to better treat the wound. He was killed in action on May 5, 1864 and buried on the field.   Peter's father died in 1860 and his mother in 1862, leaving him the main support of his younger siblings. After his death in 1864, his siblings received a pension.

Peter Froeligh, Lieutenant, 146th New York. Enlisted at age 21 at New York City on July 6, 1861 and mustered in the same day. He was described as 5' 7" tall with blue eyes and brown hair. Killed in action on May 5, 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness. 

Grave #3834: Peter Froeligh

Following the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the Confederate and Union armies moved back into Virginia. While the 1864 Overland Campaign, beginning with the Battle of the Wilderness, in May was the next major engagement between the opponents, there were smaller engagements and campaigns in between. One such campaign is the Mine Run Campaign, which occurred just past the Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County. Casualties of this lesser known engagement, and others like it, were also included here in the national cemetery. One such casualty is Private William Showers of the 1st United States Sharp Shooters. The nineteen year old was killed at Locust Grove on November 27, 1863 when he was shot through the head. His burial here in the cemetery is unique because it is one of the few graves in which more than one identified soldier are buried together. Showers is buried in a single grave with three identified comrades of the 1st USSS, and an early register of the cemetery shows that there may also be two unidentified soldiers of the same unit buried there as well. While the other three soldiers are identified with names--Sunder Ballard, J.H. Claley, and ___ Edwards--it is possible that the names are incorrect because very little can be determined about the men. For example, in a list of casualties from Locust Grove from November 27, 1863, William E. Showers of Co. K is listed as killed as is a Leander Ballard of Co. I. It is possible that Leander Ballard is the one buried with William Showers and the name was mistaken as Sunder in the reinternment process. However, the burial roster for the cemetery lists Ballard as dying in May 1864, perhaps due to his burial on the Wilderness Battlefield. Edwards and Claley are even harder to connect to the available rosters and service records. There was a George Edwards who served in a New York company of the Sharpshooters, but there is no record of him past enlistment (even the muster rolls and adjutant reports list "no further record"). Claley does not match with any of the soldiers listed in the unit by the NPS Soldiers &amp; Sailors database and does not have any matches within Fold3. This is likely a case where workers reinterring the bodies after the war found partial clues to the identities of the men, but these were misrecorded or recorded incorrectly at the time of burial.

This is a unique grave in the cemetery because it contains more than one identified burial in the same grave. Of the four soldiers, William Showers of the 1st US Sharpshooters is the only one that can be connected to more records--he was killed at Locust Grove on November 27, 1863. The other three--Sunder Ballard, J. H. Claley, and __ Edwards--are difficult to connect to soldiers who appear in the unit rosters. All three are listed as members of the 1st USSS with death dates of May 1864; this may be due to their original burial on the Wilderness Battlefield. 

Grave #4084: William Showers, J. H. Claley, Sunder Ballard, and __ Edwards

2nd Lieutenant Francis O. Lombard of the 1st MA Cavalry was killed at New Hope Church on November 27, 1863 (Mine Run). The twenty-six year old was killed as he and another man (Doran of Company A) tried to bring a badly wounded man of the 1st NJ Cavalry off the field. Both men had volunteered to try and get to him after the man’s own regiment had abandoned him. Lombard was shot through the head as he was carrying the wounded man in his arms, attempting to get him to safety.

Francis O. Lombard, 2nd Lieutenant, Co. F, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry. Mustered in at 26 years old on September 14, 1861 as 1st Sergeant and described as 5' 11" with light hair and hazel eyes.  Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on May 30, 1863. Killed in action on November 27, 1863 at New Hope Church, Mine Run. 

Grave #4100: Francis O. Lombard

You will notice that many non-Civil War veterans are buried on the edge of sections; the Civil War graves were planned in orderly sections, but once new graves were needed for later wars the cemetery caretakers placed new burials wherever there were empty plots available. Here you will notice an odd-row among the Civil War graves. This is known as the “fill row.” When more graves were needed in the early 1900s, the cemetery caretakers began filling in some of the avenues originally meant for visitor use. In this row lies the only soldier who did not serve in the United States military.  Born in Portsmouth, England in 1894, Jack Butler immigrated to the United States in 1907 and eventually moved to the Fredericksburg area. At the age of 19 Butler sailed back to England to serve in the 2nd Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He was wounded in August 1916 when his plane was shot down during a raid on German lines and during his convalescence he married Doris Tucker. After Jack was honorably discharged, the family moved back to Fredericksburg where Butler opened a garage. Jack died young, at the age of 35, of appendicitis. At the time of his death approval of his application for United States citizenship was expected shortly, which possibly explains his burial here in the National Cemetery. The ashes of his son, Roy Gordon Butler, a corporal in the US Air Force during WWII, were scattered over the grave after his death in 1986.

Jack Butler, Sergeant, 2nd British Royal Air Force, World War I, served 1915-1920. Butler is the only burial in the National Cemetery for service not in the United States military. Butler lived in Fredericksburg before WWI and returned after WWI. Jack Butler died October 30, 1930 and was granted a burial in the National Cemetery. The cremated remains of his son, Roy Gordon Butler (Corporal, US Air Force, World War II) were scattered here after his death on November 2, 1986.

Grave #6698: Jack Butler

The death of Corporal John Warner at the Battle of Fredericksburg hit his parents hard. Despite having three siblings John was the main support of his parents. His mother Magdelena was 54 years old and his 71 year old father, George, was feeble, deaf, blind in one eye and hard of sight in the other. Troubled with tremors and rheumatism, George had not been able to work as a shoemaker for 10 years, except for making slippers from scraps of cloth for $1 a week. Magdelena filed for and received a pension, but they had lost their support with the death of their son.

John Warner, corporal, Co. H, 12th New York. He enlisted on April 30, 1861 at Syracuse and mustered into Co. B as a private on May 13, 1861. He transferred to Co. H in February 1862 and was later promoted to corporal. Killed in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg. 

Grave #4913 John Warner

There are twenty women buried in this cemetery, mostly the spouses of servicemen. There are two women who are buried here on their own right for service in World War I.Annie Florence Lockhart immigrated from Canada in 1902. She graduated from Chipman Memorial Hospital School in Canada in 1904 and worked at several hospitals in Canada and the United States. When World War I began she was working in a hospital in Kentucky and was later superintendent of several hospitals in that state. She was called into active service April 6, 1918 and served as a US Army Corps Nurse until June 1919. She came to Fredericksburg in 1931 and served as superintendent of Mary Washington Hospital for three years before her early death from pneumonia in January 1935.

Annie Florence Lockhart, U.S. Army Corps Nurse, called into service on April 6, 1918 and discharged June 30, 1919. She served with a Kentucky unit and moved to Fredericksburg after the war where she was superintendent of Martha Washington Hospital. Died of pneumonia on January 1, 1935. Lockhart is one of two women buried in the National Cemetery for military service (the other women buried here are spouses of veterans). 

Grave #6715: Annie Lockhart

Otis Pinkham died days after the Battle of Chancellorsville, but was not a casualty of the battle. The 18 year old member of the 33rd Massachusetts fell ill at Brooks Station and entered a Division Hospital on April 27, dying of chronic diarrhea on May 15, 1863. Capt. James Chipman of Co. D, wrote Pinkham’s parents about his death saying he planned on marking the grave with a tablet so the remains could be located later if they wished, and sought to make arrangements for sending his effects. He also wrote to comfort the grieving parents:I am very happy to inform you that your son was a promising young man and an excellent soldier and was beloved by his officers and comrades, and whether he died on the battlefield or in camp, his friends can have the satisfaction of knowing that he died an honorable death and was doing his humble part towards restoring the Union to its former position. (the entire letter is included in the photos) Otis Pinkham's parents lost all three of their sons during the Civil War, in less than one year. Fernando Pinkham died December 12, 1862, Otis Pinkham died May 1863, and Alphonso Pinkham died September 14, 1863. Afterwards, his mother, Delia Bryant, applied for a Mother's Pension based on her eldest son's (Fernando) death. After several years of trying to navigate the process and furnish the needed evidence for her pension claim, she requested that her pension instead be granted off of the death of Otis Pinkham, the one son whose record was the clearest.

Otis Pinkham, Private, Co D., 33rd Massachusetts. Enlisted July 14, 1862 at 18 years old and mustered in August 7, 1862. Described as 5' 11.5" tall with blue eyes and dark hair, a shoemaker before enlisting in the army. Died at a Division Hospital from chronic diarrhea on May 15, 1863. 

Grave #5144: Otis Pinkham

Tilghman Jacoby of the 128th PA Infantry died just after midnight on February 20, 1863. The eighteen year old had been unwell with dysentery for months before it suddenly turned into typhoid fever right before his death. Comrades and hospital staff prepared his body to send it home to the wife Jacoby had married only a few weeks before enlisting. Catherine did not collect the body from its temporary burial at Aquia Landing because she gave birth to their only son, Charles Tilghman Jacoby, just five days before Tilghman died. Catherine received a widow’s pension of $8 per month until she remarried to her late husband’s younger brother, Milton, who had served with the 209th PA Infantry in the Petersburg Campaign. Milton later abandoned Catherine in 1884 and completely disappeared in 1899. Catherine Jacoby navigated the pension system for the rest of her life.

Tilghman Jacoby, Private, Co. G, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry. Enlisted July 28, 1862 and mustered in August 12, 1862 to serve nine months. Died February 20, 1863 of Dysentery. Tilghman Jacoby had married Catherine "Kitty Ann" Ronig on August 2, 1862, just before leaving for the war. When he died he left behind his young widow and their newborn son. 

Grave #5830: Tilghman Jacoby

Between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville stands a battle-scarred brick church. Salem Church became the center of the storm on May 3-4, 1863 as part of the Chancellorsville campaign. The Union troops who had attacked Marye’s Heights and taken them, were headed west to reinforce Hooker’s main force, but they were intercepted by Confederates near the church grounds. Twenty-three year old 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Allison of the 96th PA was shot in the stomach on May 3rd, was transported to a hospital at Aquia Creek on May 5th, and died just hours after arriving. His younger brother, nineteen year old John, served under Alexander as a corporal in the same regiment. He was also killed at Salem Church but he body was never recovered; he may lie in the cemetery under an unknown marker. Many families experienced at least one death in their family, some experienced several. There is a well-known story of Lydia Bixby, who reportedly lost five sons during the war and received a letter of condolence from Abraham Lincoln. While the letter is real, Mrs. Bixby did not actually lose all five of her sons in the war. Alexander Allison, buried here, however, is part of a true tragedy. His mother, Agnes Allison, began the war as a widow with six sons and sent four of those sons to war. All four died. Twenty-three year old Alexander and nineteen year old John, serving under Alexander as a corporal, were killed at Salem Church. Older brother George was shot in the hip at the Bloody Angle on May 12, 1864 while serving with the 56th PA and died in a hospital in Washington DC. Their other brother James served with the 1st PA Cavalry until November 1862 when he was injured after his horse threw him and discharged. In 1864 he reenlisted with the 48th PA Infantry and was killed at Bethesda Church near Richmond. Agnes Allison lost perhaps more sons than any other mother in the North, ending the war as a widow with only two of her six sons still alive. After the war, Union veterans named the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post after her sons and the community organized a funeral for her when she died in 1887. In 1908 the community of Port Carbon erected a monument to Agnes Allision and her sons at her gravesite.

Alexander Allison, Co. C., 96th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant as the Chancellorsville Campaign began in 1863 and was shot during the Battle of Salem Church on May 3, 1863. Alexander Allison died May 5th after arriving at a hospital near Aquia Creek. Alexander Allison and three of his brothers died during the Civil War, and one other Allison brother is likely buried as an unknown in the cemetery here. 

Grave #6145A: Alexander Allison

While many former slaves enlisted to fight for the Union against their former owners, the North also had a large freed population that joined the cause. Some regiments were composed of largely free, northern Black men. Private William Branch was most likely a free-man before the Civil War. Possibly born in Washington D.C. in the early 1840s, the twenty-three year old enlisted in company E, of the 31st USCT on April 8, 1864 at Jamaica, Long Island, New York. He was present with his unit from April 1864 to January 1865 when he was detached as an Army teamster. He died a few months later on May 11, 1865 from Typhoid Fever in a 25th Army Corps hospital.

William Branch, Private, Co. E, 31st USCT Infantry (United States Colored Troops). Enlisted and mustered in April 8, 1864 in Long Island, NY. Died on May 11, 1865 of Typhoid Fever at a hospital while acting as a teamster detached from his regiment. Early in the Civil War, Black men were unable to enlist as soldiers, but by the end of the war there were 166 Black regiments in United States service, comprising 300,000 men.  These regiments were distinguished from ordinary Union units by the title United States Colored Troops. 

Grave #6152: William Branch

Private Robert Sylvester of the 15th New Jersey, along with John Laughton, was known for his antics in camp. The two men would amuse themselves by climbing trees and pulling squirrels out of their holes with their bare hands. Unfortunately, Robert succumbed to Typhoid Fever four months after enlisting, in early December 1862. His comrades did not have enough wood to build a coffin for Robert; instead they shored up the sides of the grave with wood and buried him wrapped in his overcoat.

Robert Sylvester, Private, Co. E, 15th New Jersey. Enlisted on August 4, 1862 and mustered in August 25, 1862 for three years. Died of Typhoid Fever near King George Courthouse December 6, 1862 at the regimental camp, which the men had named the "Devil's Hole." Sylvester was originally buried at Randall's Farm in Stafford. 

Grave #5422: Robert Sylvester

If you look at grave #6742 you will notice that it is double sided; each side of the headstone contains the information of a different soldier. This is because Admol L. Jett and his son, Admol Glorial Jett, are buried in the same grave. Admol L. Jett served as private first class in Co. K of the 318 Infantry, 80 Division in the United States Marine Corps. He survived his service and lived until 1940. His son, Admol Glorial Jett, served with the 21 Marines, 3rd Division during World War II. He died March 1, 1945 on Iwo Jima when he deliberately exposed himself to draw enemy fire in order to locate the enemy gun positions. The directions he called back before his death enabled Marine gunners to score a direct hit on an enemy position. His mother and two sisters lost both their husband and father, son and brother within five years of each other.

Father and son buried in the same plot. Admol L. Jett: World War I, Private First Class, Co. K, 318th Infantry, 80th Division, U.S. Marine Corps. Enlisted September 18, 1917 and discharged June 3, 1919. Died November 25, 1940. Admol G. Jett: World War II, Corporal, 21st Infantry, 3rd Division, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed in Action, Iwo Jima, March 1, 1945.

Grave #6742: Admol L. Jett and Admol G. Jett

Lieutenant George Justice was a member of the 15th NJ killed on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania. The thirty-six year old was seen on top of the enemy works waving his sword, then he was shot in the back by a Confederate who had surrendered but then grabbed a musket. George left behind a widow and seven children between the ages of three and sixteen. He was lucky enough to be buried with ten of his comrades, and thus identifiable later; over forty of his regimental dead were left on the field unburied.His widow, Sarah A. Justice, received a widow's pension after George's death for her and their children. She remarried to James Bunn in 1868, and they applied for a minor's pension for Sarah and George's younger children. James Bunn deserted Sarah in 1871 and after his death she reapplied for her pension in 1903.

George C. Justice, 1st Lieutenant, Co. A, 15 New Jersey. Mustered in as 1st Sergeant on July 24, 1862, promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on March 18, 1863, and promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 27, 1863. Enlisted at age thirty six and was an actor, shoemaker, and lecturer before the war. Was killed in action at the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864 and left a widow and seven children.

Grave #3351: George C. Justice

Joseph M. Seiger, twenty-two year old sergeant of Company E in the 140NY, was wounded on May 5, 1864 as his regiment attacked the Confederate line in Saunder’s Field. He was wounded in three places: one through the hip and out the groin, one through his stomach and left breast, and one through his left arm. He was found by a conscripted soldier, John McGraw, whom Sieger had looked after in the army. John dressed Joseph’s wounds and helped him walk ¾ mile before he could be placed on a stretcher for the remaining three miles to the hospital. McGraw was “overcome with grief” as he helped his friend to safety, and Sieger would die of his wounds that day.

Joseph M. Seiger, Sergeant, Co. E, 140th New York. Enlisted at age 22 on August 22, 1862 for three years service at Rochester, NY and mustered in as sergeant on September 13, 1862. He was later promoted to 1st Sergeant. Seiger was wounded three times in Saunders Field at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864 and died the same day. 

Grave # 3778: Joseph Seiger

Edith Rose Tench was the first women ever buried in the National Cemetery. She served as a “yeomanette,” third class in the United States Naval Reserve Force at the Norfolk Navy Yards during World War I. By the time the war ended more than 11,000 women had served with the US Naval Reserve Force. “Yeomanettes” performed tasks such as clerical duties, designing camouflage for battleships, and acting as translators, draftsmen, fingerprint experts, and recruiting agents. Edith Rose Tench was her married name. She married Samuel B. Tench in 1917 but divorced in 1922. She went by her maiden name, Edith Rose, later in life. Tench graduated with the 1928 class of Mary Washington Hospital, but died in November 1929 at the age of 36 after battling Bright’s Disease.

Edith B. Rose Tench, World War I, Yeoman (F), 3rd Class, United States Naval Reserve Force. Graduate of Mary Washington Hospital, Class of 1928. Died November 19, 1929. She was buried November 21, 1929, the first internment of a woman in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. There are twenty women interned in the National Cemetery; only two are buried here for their own military service, the rest are spouses of veterans.

Grave #2915A: Edith Rose Tench

Colonel James E. Crowther is the highest ranking officer buried in the cemetery, although you would hardly know it based off of his simple headstone. His regiment, the 110 PA Infantry, fought at Hazel Grove on the morning of May 3rd during the Battle of Chancellorsville, and was ordered to hold their position at all hazards until it became impossible. Unfortunately, the regiment was not aware that the rest of the line had broken, leaving them vulnerable to a flanking attack. Called upon by the Confederate force to surrender, the 110PA responded with hand-to-hand fighting. The regiment lost almost half their strength in this fighting, included their colonel. Perhaps knowing his possible fate, Crowther had written to his wife Sarah a few days before the campaign, his last letter home. “ I hope we will get through safe.” he concluded, “Don’t forget me my dear wife. My love to the children.” When the men returned the following year during the 1864 campaign, they found that the Confederates had carefully buried Crowther and marked the grave with his name and rank on a piece of cracker box, allowing him to be reburied under an identified marker here at the cemetery.   The burials from 1863 represent a wide variety of engagements: Chancellorsville and Salem Church, the Mine Run Campaign, and the ever-present threat of disease. Many casualties from the Battle of Chancellorsville were reinterred into the cemetery under “unknown” markers because the Confederates were largely responsible for burying the dead after the Union retreated. Because of this many Union dead were buried in unidentified graves or left unburied as the armies moved towards Gettysburg. Colonel Crowther's eldest son, William Eli Crowther, took over the family business when his father enlisted in 1861. However, in February 1862, at the age of 16, William also enlisted in the war and served in Co. F, 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry. He was promoted to Corporal November 1, 1862 and Sergeant in July 1864. He was wounded in action at Boynton Plank Road on October 27, 1864, taken to a hospital at City Point, VA, and died on November 4 at the age of 19.

James E. Crowther is the highest ranking officer buried in the Cemetery as Colonel of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry. Mustered in December 23, 1861 and promoted from Lt. Colonel on March 18, 1863. Crowther was killed in action in fighting at Hazel Grove on May 3, 1863 during the Battle of Chancellorsville. 

Grave #2897: Colonel James E. Crowther

When William Morgan's wife, Amanda, filed for a widow's pension, comrade George Hudson testified that "Major William C. Morgan, late of the 3rd Reg't Maine Vols. was wounded on the evening of the 23rd day of May 1864 while engaged in a charge on the enemy's works at the North Anna River, and that he died from the effects of that wound on the morning of the 24th day of May 1864."The inability to transport soldiers’ bodies meant that they remained far away from home. Many families were unable to bury their loved ones or visit their graves. For some, locating and visiting the graves remained a hope long after the war. For M. E. Andrews, the dream of finally visiting the grave of her only brother, Major William C. Morgan (grave #3615), who died at the North Anna River in 1864 was fulfilled twenty-eight years after his death. In the fall of 1892 she traveled to Fredericksburg and enlisted the help of the cemetery staff to find William’s final resting spot among the thousands of graves. Finally, she stood before the headstone of her only brother and wrote to her sister: "I wish my dear sister, that you could see it, it is one of the most beautuful spots I ever saw, at the head of the grave there is a beautiful Japonica tree which shades it, I was pretty well overcome, and the tears dropped fast [.] I felt and know that he was beside me, I knelt down on the grave and sobbed, as I knelt there, there was a little Japonica Apple fell right into my lap, from the tree, the man picked it up and gave it to me saying that it was a message to you Mrs Andrews, he was very kind and gave me several shoots from the tree. I brought them home, and am trying to root them, if they root you shall have one." Andrews continued on to talk about providing funds to decorate William’s grave on a regular basis.

William C. Morgan, Major, 3rd Maine. Prior to serving as Major, William Morgan served in Company F of the regiment. He was Captain of Company F by the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and took command of the regiment on July 3. Morgan was reenlisted in December 1863 as Major and was killed at North Anna May 23/24, 1864. 

Grave #3615 William C. Morgan 

For decades the grave of Moses Humphrey was a mystery. In the roster he was listed as a private in Co. I, 135th USCT and died in May 1864. This information seemed incorrect, however, because the 135th USCT was not formed until March of 1865 in North Carolina. Recent research has uncovered a possible answer. The roster of the 135th United States Colored Infantry lists a Moses Umphry in Co. I that died in Virginia in May 1865. In the Compiled Service Records and Register of Deaths of Volunteers Moses is listed as both Humphrey and Umphrey, with the same company and date of death. It is likely that this is the same soldier and his death date was incorrectly listed in the original cemetery roster. The 135th USCT was mustered on March 28, 1865 in Goldsboro/Goldsborough, NC largely from the refugees and contrabands that had attached themselves to the Union Army of General William T. Sherman on his march through the Carolinas. Many of these Black men had been used as pioneers and laborers, navigating the Carolina countryside and helping build roads and bridges to move the army prior to their official enlistment in March. The regiment was only active for a few months, between March and October 1865, under the command of Colonel John Gurley. While the unit was mustered in North Carolina it marched with Sherman to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Grand Review May 23-24, 1865. This matches up with Moses Humphrey dying of Typhoid Fever in a 17th Corp hospital in Virginia on May 16, 1865, as the army moved towards Washington. It is possible that because Humphrey died and was likely buried near the Po River near Spotsylvania he may have been mistaken by the reinternment crews for a May 1864 casualty when he was moved to the National Cemetery. Because Moses Humphrey was an enslaved man who escaped in some way to be in Goldsboro, NC on March 27, 1865 when he enlisted into the 135th USC Infantry, it is very difficult to glean more information about his past. Most of the time slaves were not listed by name in the census records and finding lists of slaves owned by each individual is like finding a needle in a haystack. In the case of Humphrey his enlistment and service records do offer some clues (although much of this is speculation based on connecting primary sources together). When Humphrey enlisted he stated he was 23 years old and born in Robeson County, North Carolina. It was common for slaves to take the last name of their owner; if Moses Humphrey followed that trend he might have been owned by someone named Humphrey in that county. On the 1860 U.S. Federal Census-Slave Schedules there are three slave owners with the last name of Humphrey in Robeson County, NC. Of the three, William B. Humphrey owned a male slave listed as 18 years old, which would make him 23 years old in 1865. The Humphrey plantation was located just outside of Lumberton, NC, putting it right near the path of Sherman’s army as it moved north towards Goldsboro, NC in February and March 1865. However, when William B. Humphrey died in 1862 at age 20 and his family divided his property Moses was not among the names of the twelve listed slaves. This means that either Moses was not owned by William, or he changed his name when he enlisted. While it is impossible to piece together Humphrey’s past with any certainty, his case illustrates the difficulty of tracing slaves through the historical record, as well as how enslaved people used the Civil War to change their situation by running away or enlisting in the Union Army.

Moses Humphrey (or listed as Moses Umphrey), Co. I, 135th USCT. Likely an enslaved male from Robeson County, NC. Enlisted at Goldsboro, NC at age 23 on March 27, 1865. Died of Typhoid Fever May 16, 1865 near the Po River, Virginia as General Sherman's army marched from the Carolinas north to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Grand Review.

Grave #3306: Moses Humphrey/Umphrey

Ireland native William Jones of the 73rd New York was killed in action May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania. After his death, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing the flag of the 65th Virginia during the Battle of Spotsylvania. He is one of two Medal of Honor recipients buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery; the other is Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hill in grave #6640 who was awarded the medal for his actions at Cold Harbor. Interestingly, there was no 65th Virginia present at the Battle of Spotsylvania; it is possible that the regimental number or even the deed was misreported after the battle.Jones left behind his widow, Margaret, and two young children: Susan born in August 1860 and William born April 17, 1864, less than a month before William Jones' death. Margaret received a pension for herself and their two children; however, by 1866 when Margaret applied for an increase in her pension she only listed Susan as a child which means that William likely died in infancy.

William Jones, 1st Sergeant, Co. A, 73rd New York. Enlisted at age 25 years old in New York City on May 25, 1861 and mustered in as a private in Co. C. Transferred to Co. A on September 1, 1861 and later promoted to sergeant. Reenlisted as a veteran on December 30, 1863. Killed in action May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania and awarded the Medal of Honor.

Grave #2448: William Jones

In the book Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War (Howard Coffin, 1993) there is a story about Samuel J. Allen and his sons: “In the fighting around the Brock-Plank roads intersection had been a father and two sons from a family with its roots in Stowe. The father was shot in a leg on May 5 and died 11 days afterward. One son came through the battle unscathed. His brother was hit in the chest and died on May 12. The father’s name was Samuel Allen, the surviving son was Ethan Allen, the dead son Ira Allen.” The story is not entirely correct because Samuel J. Allen was not wounded at the Wilderness, he was wounded on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania and died May 22 of his wounds. However, the fact that two of his sons were at Wilderness, and one died is accurate.Three of Samuel Allen’s sons enlisted in the Civil War: Ethan, Edwin, and Ira. All three enlisted in the 12th United States Infantry in November 1861 and Ira likely lied about his age since he would have been 16 or 17 that year (based on census records). Ethan and Edwin Allen both only served with the 12th US Infantry; Edwin was discharged in December 1863 (and would not have been present in the 1864 campaign) and Ethan served until the end of his term in November 1864. Ira H. Allen served with the 12th US Infantry until August 1862 when he was discharged for disability. He reenlisted as a substitute, taking the spot of Benjamin Sutton, and joined the 2nd Vermont Infantry in August 1863. He was wounded May 5, 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness and died in Fredericksburg on May 12, 1864 (the same day his father was wounded at Spotsylvania). Ira Allen’s regiment was fighting at the Brock and Plank Roads like the story said, but Ethan’s regiment would have been on the other end of the field at Saunders Field.There is a second Ira H. Allen that served in the 3rd Vermont, in the same brigade as the 2nd Vermont, who was also killed in action on May 5, 1864 at the Wilderness. Also 18 at enlistment, this Ira Allen enlisted in the 3rd Vermont in April 1861 and served in the same regiment until his death in May 1864. Neither Ira H. Allen is an identified grave in the National Cemetery but it is likely that one or both of them are buried there.

Samuel J. Allen, Private, Co. C, 17th Vermont Infantry. Enlisted December 24, 1863 and mustered in March 2, 1864. Wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864 from grapeshot to the leg and died May 22, 1864 of wounds. It is likely that one of his sons is also buried in the National Cemetery as an unknown burial. 

Grave #2194: Samuel J. Allen

Samuel Edward Rice from East Greenwich, Rhode Island is described as “a soldier from a child.” He formed a company of his peers and served as their captain when they were very young and joined the Kentish Guards at the age of 16. When the Civil War erupted nineteen year old Samuel wanted to join the 2nd RI with many of his friends, but was dissuaded because of his youth. That did not last long, and he soon joined the 7th RI against the wishes of his parents. He was wounded in several places on May 18, 1864 at Spotsylvania and was taken from the field exclaiming “Boys go in! I can’t be with you any more! Tell them at home I die like a man!” He passed away a few hours after he arrived at the hospital.

Samuel Edward Rice, sergeant, Co. H, 7th Rhode Island. Enlisted August 15, 1862 and mustered in as a corporal on September 14, 1862. Wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 18, 1864 when a shell took off an arm and shattered one of his legs. He was taken from the field and died in a hospital later the same day. 

Grave #1161: Samuel Edward Rice

Samuel B. Wilson was very young when he mustered into the 100PA in 1864, in fact he was considered “under age” for enlistment. He joined with his best friend Dave Hutchinson, and both of their parents decided not to interfere in their decision despite their youth. The two boys were so close that neighbors said “If Davy gets his feet wet, Sam’s sure to take a cold.” The Battle of Spotsylvania , less than three months after their enlistment would prove disastrous for both families. Sam was killed in action on May 12, 1864 and Davy was captured, later dying of starvation in November.

Samuel B. Wilson, private, Co. B, 100th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was considered under age for enlistment, but his parents allowed it and he mustered in February 22, 1864 to serve three years. He and his best friend joined the army together near Pittsburgh, PA. Killed in action at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. 

Grave #1177: Samuel B. Wilson

Thirty-four year old Peter Wilson enlisted as a private in company C, 36th USCT Infantry on July 13, 1863 at Pylmouth, NC. Probably born near Windsor, NC, before he enlisted he was a slave owned by Dr. Turner Wilson, most likely engaged in farming since he listed “Farmer” as his pre-enlistment occupation. Less than a year after his enlistment he was killed in action by Confederate guerillas at Pierson’s farm near Richmond on June 16, 1864.The pension file connected to Peter Wilson is very interesting because two women filed for a pension separately, both claiming to be his widow. The first, Anna Wilson, married Peter Wilson in 1864 while he was in the 36th USCT. She was successful in gaining a pension; however, she later lost her pension and went through many appeals after evidence surfaced that she had been living with another man after Peter's death. The second woman, Barbery (or Barbara) Wilson, was married to Peter Wilson under a slave marriage before Peter ran away from his owner and joined the Federal Army. She was not successful in claiming a pension. Peter's mother and siblings also claimed pensions, stating that Peter Wilson had no wife at all. The pension file is an illustration at how marriage and relationships were understood within slavery as well as the gender expectations of women who held widow's pensions.

Peter Wilson, Private, Co. C, 36th USCT Infantry (United States Colored Troops). Born a slave in North Carolina and owned by Dr. Turner Wilson prior to the war, Peter Wilson ran away and enlisted in the 36th USCT at Plymouth, NC on July 13, 1863. Killed in action, June 16, 1864.

Grave #814: Peter Wilson

Jerome Pierce left behind a wife, Albina (he called her Allie), and a two year old daughter, Lucy, when he joined the 36th MA in 1862. On May 12, 1864 Jerome was struck in the heart with a bullet, killed instantly during the Battle of Spotsylvania. Like most soldiers, he was buried on the battlefield and was later re-interred here in Fredericksburg. News of his death devastated his wife, a widow at the age of 29. After the war, she sent a check for 100 dollars to Andrew Birdsall, the cemetery superintendent, with a request that he put the money in a bank and use the interest to decorate the grave regularly. Birdsall did so, and his family passed the responsibility down the generations until the 1990s. Allie Pierce never remarried, dying in 1920 at the age of 85. Lucy also never married, thus Jerome has no direct descendants to remember his story. In a sense, the American people have become the family of these men, coming together to remember them and make sure their stories never die. Today the park still decorates Jerome’s grave, a remembrance to the tragedy of war and the families affected by it.

Jerome Pierce, Corporal, Co. H, 36th Massachusetts. Enlisted at age 31 on August 4, 1862 and mustered in August 27, 1862. Killed in action May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania. Jerome Pierce's grave is one of the most well-known in the National Cemetery due to the long-standing tradition of decorating his grave for Memorial Day. 

Fredericksburg National Cemetery

Graves #6632 and #6633: Leighton and Jesse Forsythe

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Backstory and Context

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Additional Information