I've traveled to New Mexico recently and the little guest house I stayed in had no internet, so my blog writing was put on hold for a couple of weeks. Now, this morning, as I sit here in my own home and reflect on the meaning of this day, I thought it would be interesting to delve into its history a bit.
Aside from being the unofficial start of summer and a great day for picnics, parades and planting, Memorial Day is our national day to honor those who have died in war. While I confess that I've always been a bit disturbed by the whole concept of war and the terrible things that happen during battle, I can certainly understand the need to recognize those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.
Memorial Day actually has an interesting history: it began after the Civil War as a way to honor the many lives lost as well as a way to try to unite the country after the devastating division. "One of the earliest and perhaps largest
ceremonies was held in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865. In Dr. David Blight's
book, 'Race and Reunion:The Civil War in American Memory', he explains
that in May 1865, newly freed African Americans reburied 257 Union soldiers,
who had died in a prison camp and were hastily buried, in order to give them
the proper honors in death. The new graves were blanketed by flowers and
dedicated, with thousands of people parading down the racetrack that had been
the site of the prison camp...The government established national cemeteries for the
Union fallen, while cemeteries were established in cities and towns across the
country. With those cemeteries came mourners. They decorated the graves of
their fallen heroes with flowers. They recited prayers. They held tributes. It began
as a very solemn day". It was declared a national holiday by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and it has been an established tradition since then.
(https://www.nps.gov/articles/memorial-day-history.html).
This year, as our country faces another period of deep division and we are sorely in need of some unity, I pray that we will all reflect on the sacrifices of those who died for the freedom and equality of all Americans, regardless of race or color and that we will resolve to honor them by planting seeds of peace, healing and unity in our own lives.
Thank you Patti…
ReplyDeleteAndersonville was the largest and most infamous war prison of the Civil War. The transformation (Resurrection) of Andersonville from prison to the National Shrine fully funded and maintained by the National Park Service today is fascinating.
A few of the Union prisoners incarcerated there died from bullets shot and killed by marksmen stationed high on the stockade walls for stepping over lines too close to the inside walls of barricade fences. But the overwhelming majority of the 11,000 dead of 45,000 POWs died from lack of any human attention from causes like dysentery, gangrene, diarrhea, scurvy.
After the Civil War, the site reverted to private ownership. In 1890 it was purchased by the Georgia Department of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans’ organization, Unable to finance improvements needed to protect the property, it was sold to the National Woman's Relief Corps (WRC). The WRC made many improvements to the area with the idea of creating a memorial park. Pecan trees were planted to produce nuts for sale to help maintain the site and States began erecting commemorative monuments, The WRC built the Providence Spring House in 1901 to mark the site where, on August 9, 1864, a spring burst forth during a heavy summer rainstorm-an occurrence many prisoners attributed to divine providence.
In 1910 the Woman's Relief Corps donated the prison site to the people of the United States. It was administered by the War Department and its successor, the Department of the Army, until its designation as a national historic site by Congress in October 1970. Since July 1, 1971, the park has been administered by the National Park Service.
Many ideas come to mind from reading the Memorial Day Musing from Patti. The most prominent is in Chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Romans where he tells us cherish your sufferings for sufferings produce perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope.
Welcome back Patti.
Wow! I had no idea there were POW camps for the northern soldiers, and that 45,000 POW's died there, mainly from disease. I could list battles and military leaders, but somehow, this part of the war went right over my head. Thank you for the information.
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