VIRGINIA: Civil War Fallen Remembered
LEESBURG, Va. — The sight and sound of The Commandant’s Own United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps was one of a number of memorable moments during Sunday’s dedication ceremony at Oatlands to commemorate those who died—on either side—in the Civil War.
Journey Through Hallowed Ground founder and president Cate Magennis Wyatt said the event was held to honor the lives of 500 men who died by dedicating trees planted in their memory—part of the ambitious Living Legacy project to plant a tree in memory of each of the 620,000 men and women who died in the war. The new plantings are visible along Oatland’s Rt. 15 border as well as on Rt. 15 at the southern entrance to Leesburg. The legacy trees will be planted throughout the Journey corridor between Montcello and Gettysburg.
The United State Maine Color Guard and the United State Marine Drum & Bugle Corps on the lawn at Oatlands.
Among the guests were Del. Randy Minchew (R-10), Loudoun Supervisor Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin), filmmaker and writer Ron Maxwell and Brock Bierman of Ancestry.com.
The program was initiated by partners of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground in response to then-Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s call for communities to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Rather than have “another flagpole or monument, we all decided to do something new,” Magennis Wyatt said, deciding to create a 180-mile memorial allée.
Each tree will be geo-tagged with the name of the soldier, information on where he died and about his life as far as it can be known, all of which can be accessed at www.hallowedground.org. Students at area schools have been researching the lives of some of the fallen, with the help of Ancestry.com.
“We will march those trees from Monticello to Gettysburg,” Magennis Wyatt said, adding Pickett’s Field at Gettysburg already has been repopulated with trees in honor of those who died there.
As chairman of the Living Legacy Tree Planting Program and a member of the Oatlands Board of Directors, David Williams said it was particularly fitting to hold the ceremony at Oatlands. His grandparents and his great-aunt had gifted the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1964 and, as the geographical center of the National Scenic Byway corridor and National Heritage Area, Oatlands was an appropriate place to honor the memory and lives of the 500 men, Williams said, noting the project was launched as a pilot program at Oatlands last year. Oatlands was selected as the 2013 Corporate Partner of the Year, out of 350 partners in Journey.
Minchew noted the Marine Corps’ “always faithful” motto was particularly appropriate. “We are the citizen beneficiaries” of their sacrifices and of all those who wore the blue and the gray, giving that last full measure of devotion, he said, calling the tree-planting program “a really great idea.”
Of the 620,000 men and women who died, Magennis Wyatt noted 50 percent died anonymously, and more were never formally honored.
The highlight of the afternoon was the appearance of the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Official Color Guard of the Marine Corps. As Staff Sgt. Joshua Miles announced the corps, all eyes swiveled as the first of the 60 men marched up the driveway, lining up, three deep, in an arc in front of Oatlands mansion—their immaculate scarlet jackets and white trousers an impressive sight against the white columns and lemon façade of the house.
As the honor guard lined up, Sgt. Miles called attention to the Marine flag, where 54 streamers represented the battles in which the marines had been involved from the American Revolution to the present. The Washington, DC, unit—the oldest Marine Corps unit—is entrusted with the guardianship of the flag.
The corps’ performance, under the baton of Capt. Christopher Hall, was as meticulous and stirring as the men’s appearance, including The Battle Hymn of the Republic—that rang the gamut from somber, mournful notes to a rousing crescendo—and The Marine’s Hymn.
The tree planting program has several aims—to honor the memory of the fallen, but also to research their lives wherever possible and to create a record of those who fought and died, according to Magennis Wyatt: “We will create the first and most complete register of these men and women.” The next generation needs to understand loss and what it took to rebuild, she said, noting in that regard the help of Ancestry.com has been invaluable, she said.
Bierman praised the contributions of the students, four of whom shared their research during the event. “It is a privilege to help,” he said, expressing admiration for the students in K-12th grade who have been engaged in helping build profiles of the soldiers. Since Oct. 19, they have uploaded 600 documents, including military records and obituaries—which provide vital information, he said.
Bierman recalled the story of a Lt. Garrett van Ingen, which he came across while reading his obituary. Van Ingen had only been in America for four years before enlisting. “He buckled on his sword in defense of his adopted country,” Bierman said. He lost his life at the Battle of Antietam, valiantly responding to Gen. Burnside’s call to “hold the bridge” at all costs, holding on even as his knees were shattered by minié balls.
Four students—Jimmy Cunningham, Tori Hort, Nathan Goodlin and Rachel Petterson—spoke of their research into the lives of soldiers, most of whom died, either of disease or battle wounds, in a tragically short time after enlisting.
Jimmy’s soldier fought at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff with the 17th Mississippi where he was wounded. Later he was discharged with chronic hearing problems and a bad skin condition. He died in the hospital. Tori’s soldier was with a New York regiment. He was captured in 1863 and sent to the notorious Confederate prison at Andersonville, where he died the following year.
Nathan researched four soldiers, including two Confederate soldiers, brothers, with Mississippi regiments. One died in Leesburg in 1862, while the other died of brain congestion less than a year after he signed up. Rachel researched a Mississippian, who died in hospital from apoplexy, and a South Carolinian, who died in 1861 in the hospital in Leesburg.
Trees can be dedicated to a soldier who died as well as to a living person. World War II veteran John Mann of Warrenton dedicated a tree to his late wife, May, who died five years ago after a 62-year marriage. Mann delighted the crowd with the story of their courtship. And six-month-old baby Madison looked out over the crowd as a tree was dedicated in her name by her great-grandmother.
The Rev. W. Brown Morton III gave the benediction, a moving prayer about the healing power of trees after so bitter a harvest, before the two trees were tagged.
Cub Scout Brandon Scott held the salute throughout the singing of Amazing Grace by Catherine Wyatt as Capt. Hall helped tag the tree.
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