The Angel of Marye's Heights - Fredricksburg Battlefield, Va

civilwartalk · #1 06-03-2001, 01:54 PM

In December 1862, Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee easily withstood the assault of General Ambrose Burnside's troops by taking cover on a wide, stone walled ridge known as Marye's Heights. Over nine thousand Federalists died, compared to fifteen hundred deaths on the confederate side. One South Carolina soldier, Sergeant Richard Kirkland, risked his own life to bring canteens of water to dying Union soldiers, whose moans filled the air during lulls in the shooting. The cries and mournful pleas of those dying soldiers are heard to this day, and the ghostly figure of Sergeant Kirkland, the Angel of Marye's Heights, can be seen still coming to their aid.

lorrierivette · #2 06-25-2002, 01:07 AM

Hi Mike

I just read about this today. I was touched by this story. I could see how an angel could be seen there

Lorrie

#3 07-02-2002, 10:31 AM

Mike, I don't doubt any ghost stories, as I have seen the spirits with my own eyes on battlefields such as Gettysburg, Cedar Creek, and Antietam.
But why would the ghost of Sgt. Kirkland return to Fredericksburg where he performed his most humane acts on the 13th of December, when he was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga months later. He died while firing one last bullet at the enemy he had so valiantly provide succor to months earlier. His last words, "Tell my pa I died right." He is buried in Camden, South Carolina, within a few feet of his commander Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw.

gary · #4 11-02-2003, 11:33 AM

Anybody see the statute of Sgt. Kirkland? It appears the that the sculptor was influenced by Benjamin West's The Death of Wolfe (now at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa). Very overdramatic and kinda hard to pour water into an injured guy's mouth.

BTW, there's suppose to be a Sgt. Kirkland museum at Fredericksburg. Where is it?