Bonny Blue Flag
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2008
- Location
- Grand Prairie, Texas
Short of a field trip to Ft. Pillow and the surrounding communities, a limited search on the internet for information on burials and graves of Confederate soldiers killed during the battle revealed nothing. As with other battles during the war, we could say with certainty dead soldiers were buried for miles around the fort. The wounded survivors who could travel and died along the way, were most likely interred off the roadside. In both cases, quite likely each grave had a temporary marker of some sort.
There is evidence of wounded soldiers being taken to nearby homes and hospitals:
--Wilson, J.C. (Cardwell), Captain of the 2nd Tennessee. "...He was shot through the lungs at Ft. Pillow while charging at the head of his company. He was carried by his men, on stretchers, eighteen miles to Dr. Brodie's, where he died after lingering several days. Two of his men, "Hard" Wilson and Smith Randle were detailed to wait with him." (1)
--Sullivan, W. R., Captain of the Willis Battalion, Co. E. National Archives states he was wounded at Ft. Pillow and left in Brownsville, Tennessee. He died there on May 20th, 1864. (1)
--Davis, Marceullis, B., Private of the Willis Battalion, Co. B. National Archives states he was severely wounded at the fight at Ft. Pillow and was left in Brownsville, Tennessee. (1)
--Pyland, R., Co. C. "Wounded at Ft. Pillow April 12th, 1864 and left in west Tennessee. (4)
There are many to look for a soldier's disposition after the battle. Investigative reports are one such source.
In Mound City, Illinois, soldiers were interviewed at bedside by assigned agents for a Congressional investigation into the Ft. Pillow Battle. These soldier's names are in this report. (3)
Locating the final resting place of a soldier often begins and ends with his name. Here is a perfect example:
--Barron, W.R., name that was given at enlistment. Cimprich and Mainfort (5) identify this individual as Reubin Burrow, but the service record microfilm suggests these are two different individuals. The casualty list in the O.R lists him as R.W. Barron, Private, Co. B. (6)
Cemeteries often commemorate the fallen Confederate soldier, enmasse or by name. A stone plaque in Brownsville, Tennessee could offer some insight to the burial of Confederate soldiers who very well could have participated in the Ft. Pillow battle:
"Dedicated to Unknown Confederate Soldiers Who Died in "Make Do" hospitals"
--"Confederate Dead --in the area lie an unknown number of Confederate soldiers. It is thought they died in "Make Do" hospitals from 1862 - 1865. They are known only to God. Let no man forget history. Let no man say that the soldiers of the South are forgotten by all on this day." This stone placed here by Camp No. 1341 Sons of the Confederate Veterans. Haywood County Historical Society 2001.
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville gave graves to those with none. A large sign reads:
"After the War Between the States, the women of Nashville bought land at Mount Olivet and formed the Confederate Circle. The remains of about 1,500 Confederate soldiers were moved here from area battlefields. Seven Confederate Generals - William B. Bate, William N.R. Bealle, Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, William H. Jackson, George E. Maney, James E. Rains, Thomas Benton Smith. Other prominant Nashville Confederates - Colonel Adophus Heiman, Randall McGavock."
I would hazard to guess today most of the soldier's graves that lay miles around Ft. Pillow or by the roadside became and have remained unmarked for many, many years. The lucky few have been reinterred in cemeteries, and even less have had their names restored.
It is through sites like CivilWarTalk that reminds us all of the price paid in history for the future we live in today.
--BBF
Resources
1) Custermen.com ( http://custermen.com/DixieBoys/Menu.htm)
--Confederates Killed At Battle fo Ft. Pillow April 12, 1864 (obtained from a Park Ranger at
Ft. Pillow.
2) Findagrave.com
3) Coax.net
4) Compiled Service Records
5) Wikipedia
--John Cimpich --Professor and Chairperson of the History Department at Thomas
More College.
--Robert C. Mainfort Jr.--Professor of Anthropology at the Univeristy of Arkansas
6) 20th Tennessee Cavalry CSA / Biographical Information
7) City-Data.com
There is evidence of wounded soldiers being taken to nearby homes and hospitals:
--Wilson, J.C. (Cardwell), Captain of the 2nd Tennessee. "...He was shot through the lungs at Ft. Pillow while charging at the head of his company. He was carried by his men, on stretchers, eighteen miles to Dr. Brodie's, where he died after lingering several days. Two of his men, "Hard" Wilson and Smith Randle were detailed to wait with him." (1)
--Sullivan, W. R., Captain of the Willis Battalion, Co. E. National Archives states he was wounded at Ft. Pillow and left in Brownsville, Tennessee. He died there on May 20th, 1864. (1)
--Davis, Marceullis, B., Private of the Willis Battalion, Co. B. National Archives states he was severely wounded at the fight at Ft. Pillow and was left in Brownsville, Tennessee. (1)
--Pyland, R., Co. C. "Wounded at Ft. Pillow April 12th, 1864 and left in west Tennessee. (4)
There are many to look for a soldier's disposition after the battle. Investigative reports are one such source.
In Mound City, Illinois, soldiers were interviewed at bedside by assigned agents for a Congressional investigation into the Ft. Pillow Battle. These soldier's names are in this report. (3)
Locating the final resting place of a soldier often begins and ends with his name. Here is a perfect example:
--Barron, W.R., name that was given at enlistment. Cimprich and Mainfort (5) identify this individual as Reubin Burrow, but the service record microfilm suggests these are two different individuals. The casualty list in the O.R lists him as R.W. Barron, Private, Co. B. (6)
Cemeteries often commemorate the fallen Confederate soldier, enmasse or by name. A stone plaque in Brownsville, Tennessee could offer some insight to the burial of Confederate soldiers who very well could have participated in the Ft. Pillow battle:
"Dedicated to Unknown Confederate Soldiers Who Died in "Make Do" hospitals"
--"Confederate Dead --in the area lie an unknown number of Confederate soldiers. It is thought they died in "Make Do" hospitals from 1862 - 1865. They are known only to God. Let no man forget history. Let no man say that the soldiers of the South are forgotten by all on this day." This stone placed here by Camp No. 1341 Sons of the Confederate Veterans. Haywood County Historical Society 2001.
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville gave graves to those with none. A large sign reads:
"After the War Between the States, the women of Nashville bought land at Mount Olivet and formed the Confederate Circle. The remains of about 1,500 Confederate soldiers were moved here from area battlefields. Seven Confederate Generals - William B. Bate, William N.R. Bealle, Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, William H. Jackson, George E. Maney, James E. Rains, Thomas Benton Smith. Other prominant Nashville Confederates - Colonel Adophus Heiman, Randall McGavock."
I would hazard to guess today most of the soldier's graves that lay miles around Ft. Pillow or by the roadside became and have remained unmarked for many, many years. The lucky few have been reinterred in cemeteries, and even less have had their names restored.
It is through sites like CivilWarTalk that reminds us all of the price paid in history for the future we live in today.
--BBF
Resources
1) Custermen.com ( http://custermen.com/DixieBoys/Menu.htm)
--Confederates Killed At Battle fo Ft. Pillow April 12, 1864 (obtained from a Park Ranger at
Ft. Pillow.
2) Findagrave.com
3) Coax.net
4) Compiled Service Records
5) Wikipedia
--John Cimpich --Professor and Chairperson of the History Department at Thomas
More College.
--Robert C. Mainfort Jr.--Professor of Anthropology at the Univeristy of Arkansas
6) 20th Tennessee Cavalry CSA / Biographical Information
7) City-Data.com
Last edited by a moderator: