Memorial Day
Posted on 25 May, 2009Take some time out today to remember those who have died for this country. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for a country they loved.
I love love some of the stories surrounding the origins of Memorial Day. I’m, of course, obliged to stick with the story about the origins starting in Columbus, MS. It’s a story I’ve heard a dozen times while at MSMS and a story that isn’t avoidable if you live anywhere near the area.
Twelve Gables, built in 1838, served as the primary military hospital in the area. On 25 April 1866, a group of women met at the home. Here, they decided to decorate the graves of the Confederate boys who died and were buried at Friendship Cemetery. They marched through the town with baskets full of colorful flowers on their way down to the cemetery.
Amongst the buried Confederate soldiers, Union soldiers were also buried. All of them died in the Battle of Shiloh. The women looked across the graves – Confederate and Union side-by-side. They decided that it would be best to decorate all of the graves, rather than the Confederate ones. Those fathers, brothers, and sons who died for the Union had mothers, sisters, and daughters who were grief stricken just as these ladies were grief stricken for their Confederate boys.
By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep on the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the Judgment Day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray.
Inspired by the kindness and empathy of these women, Frances Miles Finch wrote The Blue and the Gray. I’ve always considered this story to be one of the most beautiful and a shining light in a dark portion of our nation’s history. This story, and many others about the people who are buried in Friendship Cemetery, are very interesting, especially during the annual Tales From The Crypt presentation (which, mind you, is award winning – and presented by my Alma Mater). Truly something you must go see yourself.
