There’s something that struck me long ago, while watching Last of the Mohicans (the newest version), but not necessarily in relation to that time period. Specifically, I’m talking about the marking or remarking of graves of Civil War soldiers. We see it often, in instances where folks, today, wish to mark the graves of people from the past who have either no marker for their grave, or whose marker has become unreadable, or even disappeared over time.
But, back to the movie, for just a bit…
The first scene is the one where Hawkeye’s entourage comes upon the devastation at the cabin of close friends. Cora Munro commences to rebuke Hawkeye for not giving the people a proper burial.
Hawkeye counters her with the comment “… they’re not strangers… and they stay as they lay…”
Of course, this is only part of the explanation. Later on, Hawkeye provides more detail…
“Anyone looking for a trail would see it [the burial] as a sign that we passed that way”
Cora responds, “You knew them well?”
Here’s the thing. Take a Confederate soldier about whom you know only what you see in his service record. You have nothing to make clear his sentiments or his reasoning behind the decisions that he made. No diary, no letters, nothing more than what you see in service records. You know nothing apart from the fact that he served between one date and another, the notations, perhaps, that he was sick and/or wounded at some point, or various points. By marking his grave as a Confederate, therefore, do you project more about what you want to see than what the man who was the soldier wished to be remembered for?
“Anyone looking for a trail would see it as a sign that we passed that way.”
Indeed. Let’s say the man has a headstone. It may be hard to read, but at any place in that headstone do we see any remarks about service as a Confederate soldier? For that matter, is there even mention of this service in his obituary? Was he proud of this service? How do you know? Does the absence of mention in the obituary project another meaning? Perhaps he wished the past to remain the past. In many cases, you really don’t know.
If he left no evidence that he wished to be remembered by his service, by marking the grave as a Confederate, do you leave what you do, more as a sign that you “passed that way”, and that your trail says more about you than the man in the grave?
Washington John Irvin Cave's Confederate headstone, in Page County, Virginia. Just one example of where more is projected in a headstone than what was the reality of the man in that war. A member of the famed "Stonewall Brigade", was he really a devoted "Confederate"? Who ordered the headstone and why? Did they not know his story?
For more about W.J.I. Cave, see this blog post that I wrote, back in 2008.
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s important in this day to mark the burial sites of folks. Removal of cemeteries for modern convenience has become too convenient… and it’s truly sad. By all means, fork out the money necessary to replace a headstone, or place a new one, based on what appears to be the way the man, not you, wanted to be remembered. As for those free and convenient VA headstones… It’s obvious to me that it’s become too convenient for some to mark graves of Civil War soldiers with free headstones from the Veterans Administration… and honestly, not so much to do justice to the man in the grave, but rather, to project a modern agenda through the headstone.
A stamp, an envelope, and a copy of a service record = viola! A devoted Confederate soldier!
Or, even worse…
A stamp, an envelope, and… what else (?) in the way of “evidence” has equaled… viola! An instant, true and devoted “Black Confederate!”
The lesson is, don’t leave the “trail” of others tainted with your markings. Perhaps it’s best if the dead really do… “stay as they lay”, and you find another means to identify your interpretation in another venue, away from the grave, stating clearly that it is nothing more than your interpretation, as to who these people were and what they believed.
I’m finding that these conveniently free Veterans Administration stones, used for Civil War soldiers, are all too frequently projecting far more than they should.
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Bill Newcomer
September 13, 2011
I have a “way back” Uncle who was a Union veteern and is buried in an unmarked grave herer in Michigan. I’ve thought about how we could get him a VA marker, but this post makes me pause and reflect… How did Uncle Christopher want to be remembered?
Robert Moore
September 13, 2011
How was he remembered in his obituary, and was he a recipient of a pension?
Robert Moore
September 13, 2011
I should add to this post that… it’s not just a Civil War thing…
At least two of my RevWar ancestors were Hessians. I know the burial site for one of them, and it is marked with an old stone, and the inscription can be easily read. There’s no mention of his being a Hessian on the stone, but I’m well aware of the fact (mostly because of my own research) that he was in the Hesse-Hanau Erbprinz Regiment, and was among those surrendered following Saratoga. Honestly, I’d love to place something on his grave to be reveal, at the very least, that THIS is a Hessian soldier. That being said…
I KNOW I can’t order a special stone from the VA for him (Hessians, obviously, aren’t covered), but, I can purchase a special “Hessian Soldier” disk from a private company, with a mounting device, that I could place at his grave.
BUT…. really, would he want that?
I have no indications that he would… but then, I have no indications that he wouldn’t, either. So, if I marked the grave with the disk, would I be doing him justice, or placing a reminder of something that he, in his later life, wished to let lay (especially in that he remained in what became the US and adopted this country as his own)? In the end, I can’t help but feel that the disk would be more about my interests than his.
jgo
September 13, 2011
One of my ggfs was in an Ohio artillery unit that was at Vicksburg (and IIRC, Biloxi), and his stone is of a grainy material that has worn away to illegibility. I had to feel the surface to make sure I had the correct one, and in the process, a few grains stuck to my finger-tips — more wear. It would be nice to replace it with something legible, but even reproducing the old markings on a new, more durable stone might be problematic, because, quite frankly, those who knew what it said have passed on leaving no record. Entropy marches on.
OTOH, AmRev era minister, reverend Hugh Vance’s marker was duplicated/replaced very close to the original, there at Opequon, and I was happy someone posted images of both markers.
Robert Moore
September 13, 2011
“It would be nice to replace it with something legible, but even reproducing the old markings on a new, more durable stone might be problematic, because, quite frankly, those who knew what it said have passed on leaving no record.”
Is this one of the older military stones?
As for the Opequon stone, that sounds neat.
Jim Schmidt
September 13, 2011
Robert…wonderful post
First – One of my favorite Mark Twain pieces is his “beat down” of Last of the Mohicans…it’s hysterical
Second – Like our friend “Bill” above I had wondered about requesting a headstone. Not of an ancestor but of Civil Wargeneral-turned-Catholic priest William Olmsted, mentioned in my book “Notre DAme and the Civil War”…it’s my understanding he is buried with a “nondescript” marker in a NY…it’s tempting to want a “nice, new” VA marker but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do (and – as a non-relative, couldn;t really push for anyway?)
Keep up the GREAT work!
Jim
Robert Moore
September 13, 2011
Thanks, Jim, and thanks for commenting!
You know, there’s another issue I have with the VA stones… and it’s often aesthetics. I mean, sometimes they seem almost anachronistic, and very out of place, among older stones.
Here’s the thing about this post… I suppose it’s my self-imposed shame. I used to think that lots of headstones should be replaced, and I even began working in that endeavor… now, much to my regret, having realized the implications.
Thanks again for commenting. I appreciate your thoughts, and, as always, your positive remarks about the blog!
JE
September 14, 2011
Great post and thoughts, Rob. I’ve struggled with this, too. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been researching the Civil War vets buried in a local (eastern Ohio) cemetery. The government issued headstones, from what I can gather, were ordered by a local GAR post in 1877 for any vets that had passed away previous to that date – any vets buried after that had private headstones, if any. The government issued stones are entirely worn and unreadable…all of them clearly good candidates to be replaced.
I’m particularly interested in the USCT vets buried in this particular cemetery. Several of those who died after the govt headstones were installed have rough stones, if any. In looking at these guys in the census records, I can see that their families absolutely did not have the money to purchase an elaborate headstone or maybe even the know-how to request a govt stone. Most of these guys likewise didn’t have obituaries published…the only ‘local’ newspapers were nearly 20 miles away.
These guys did apply for (and receive) pensions and had some really interesting service records. The vast majority of them were born into slavery (quite a few in Loudon county) and died illiterate. How can you gauge how the vets would have liked to have been remembered when they may not have known themselves?
Robert Moore
September 14, 2011
Thanks for commenting!
I think this is where the “…, however, …” comes into play.
If the vets had headstones from years ago, and it cites military service, and they are worn to the point where it’s almost impossible to read them any longer, I think a replacement stone is in order, sticking with the basic info that was one the previous stone.
As for the USCTs, I’ve also encountered that problem, and, I think you’re right. I’ve seen several examples where it appears the families may not have had the money to place a stone. At that point, I think I’d turn to two resources, the obit and the pension, if they received one. Sadly, the obits can be more difficult to come by, and, just as in the case of the headstones, they’re often simply not there. On the other hand, those pensions give us a snapshot in the absence of all other information.
Now, that said… did applying for a pension mean that they looked back, fondly at their days of service and wanted to be remembered for it? I’ll be among the first to say… “no”. Veteran pension money was a good deal, no matter how you look at it, even from the standpoint of Confederate veterans, which is actually the basis for my saying… “no”. I’ve seen Confederate vets apply for pensions, but, their service record may indicate less than enthusiastic service… or… their obit mentions absolutely nothing about the service, even though it appears honorable.
It’s a tough decision to make, and one that can’t be made hastily. In my opinion (having been revised over the years), a great amount of care needs to go into this decision, whether or not to order those modern stones.