Five Union Soldiers Find Peace

The Southern Pines Pilot ^ | 10/17/10 | Jim Dodson

[Bodleian_Girl]

Shortly after 10 o'clock on a crisp Saturday morning two weeks ago, 75 folks solemnly clutching small American flags and digital cameras assembled in a grove of young pines at a modest farm in the Zion community, tucked into in the soft hills west of downtown Rockingham.

Their objective was to honor five forgotten Union soldiers who died in a skirmish only days before the end of the Civil War. Until now, the solders' remains have lain in hand-dug graves marked only by small piles of white stones for 145 years, their identities unknown.

The event, sponsored by the Richmond County Historical Society, was an unlikely memorial service to honor their service to country and unveil official grave markers for the newly identified deceased. Invited guests included ancestors of the dead soldiers from as far away as Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, plus local citizens and history buffs and even a color guard made up of the Sons of Confederate Veterans from both North and South Carolina.

As local historian James Clifton reminded the participants, what happened at Lassiter Farm on March 7, 1865, was only a tiny incident in the bloodiest conflict in American history, a vast conflagration that produced more than a million casualties including 620,000 soldiers - an estimated 8 percent of all white males from the North and 18 percent from the South. More American soldiers died in the Civil War than in the next six wars combined.

Ironically, it was only the honor of a Confederate soldier that kept the memory of the five Union deaths from vanishing forever into the ether......

[Bodleian_Girl]

Great article!!! The rest is at the link. http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/oct/17/jim-dodson-five-union-soldiers-find-peace/

[Tax-chick]

Invited guests included ancestors of the dead soldiers from as far away as Rhode Island and Pennsylvania ...

I just want to know if any of the dead Civil War soldiers' ancestors showed up. And I want to see the pictures, too.

(Undead, Typso, North Carolina, and Civil War interest.)

[rahbert]

To determine if their ancestors were in attendance
would require a seance or a Ouija board.

[Texas56]

Nice article. Thank you for sharing.

[Bodleian_Girl]

I just want to know if any of the dead Civil War soldiers' ancestors showed up. And I want to see the pictures, too.

Relatives of Pvt. Henry L. Sennett, 24, were present to recognize their ancestor, who, along with the four other Union soldiers, had been all lost for 145 years.

They included Thomas Shugars of Salix, Penn.; his son, Jim Shugars; and grandson, Ian Shugars.

Formally recognizing the other Union soldiers were Charles Augur of Lexington of the Gibbon Burke Sons of Union Veterans; and Dennis St. Andrew of Cary, senior vice commander, Department of N.C., Sons of Union Veterans.

Sennett was a member of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry along with Pvt. Calvin Simpson, 24; and Pvt. David Woods, 27; Cpl. Reed Alcorn, 21, and Pvt. Mathew Ross, 20, both of the 8th Indiana Cavalry. They were on a foraging mission as part of the Union Army in Richmond County.

Read more: Richmond County Daily Journal - Union dead honored at ceremony (Another article)

http://www.yourdailyjournal.com/view/full_story_home/9762687/article-Union-dead-honored-at-ceremony?instance=homesecondary_news_left_column

[Still Thinking]

[facepalm] Maybe they mean the soldiers’ aunts’ sisters, but that would still be quite a spread in age between siblings.

[Bodleian_Girl]

Thanks!

[Tax-chick]

Nice picture, thanks, and it looks like it was an excellent event. Perfect weather across the state recently!

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“They were on a foraging mission as part of the Union Army in Richmond County.”

Foraging mission is short for stealing from the locals. Its anyones guess who shot the thieves. I wonder how much silverware was recovered before they were laid to rest?

[Stonewall Jackson]

I thought you might be interested in this.

[Dudoight]

Brilliant! Ancestor perception deficit.

I wonder if there would have been any fanfare if the soldiers were confederates? They were racists after all.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Good one!

[Tax-chick]

It’s North Carolina. All Civil War remains are treated with a lot of respect, especially by the spirit world ;-). But seriously, events like this are fairly common around the Piedmont, where either Union or Confederate remains still turn up quite frequently.

[Earthdweller]

"I wonder how much silverware was recovered before they were laid to rest?

Nice.../s

I assure you, if they were from Indiana..they did not need any ones cheap "silverware".

[GOP_Party_Animal]

Foraging mission is short for stealing from the locals. Its anyones guess who shot the thieves. I wonder how much silverware was recovered before they were laid to rest?

Wow. That's a pretty vile assumption to throw on to dead American servicemen. I suppose you were in support of John Murtha regarding the Haditha Marines too?

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“I assure you, if they were from Indiana..they did not need any ones cheap “silverware”.”

Yeah, tell that to Southerners who lost everything to the bummers. The pedigree for the word “bummer” originates with Shermans march. Bummers were committed to “foraging”. Much like Sheridan, the enterprise was to wage war on civilians. The troops took their lead from their betters and carried out the operation thoroughly.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“Wow. That’s a pretty vile assumption to throw on to dead American servicemen. I suppose you were in support of John Murtha regarding the Haditha Marines too?”

Not an assumption, a known fact: foraging was stealing from locals. Better known as “bumming”. With regards to Murtha: Murtha, like his brethren were from the north.

[Celtic Cross]

If the Sons of Confederate Veterans provide fanfare for union casualties, doesn't stand to reason that they'd provide fanfare for confederate casualties?

[Smokin' Joe]

Invited guests included ancestors of the dead soldiers

They might be late...should've invited the descendents...

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Wow. That's a pretty vile assumption to throw on to dead American servicemen.

You clearly don't spend much time on the Civil War threads around here. That's mild.

[Celtic Cross]

Oh p!ss off. They are dead American soldiers, and you can do nothing better than call them thieves? Extremely tasteless.

Sheesh. I hope Central Va. doesn't show up.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“Oh p!ss off. They are dead American soldiers, and you can do nothing better than call them thieves? Extremely tasteless.”

It is what it is. They were invaders who looted the countryside. If that is your definition of American servicemen, then so be it.

[Celtic Cross]

Foraging in enemy country is not necessarily thieving. The confederates foraged in union territory too, FYI.

[Earthdweller]

"The troops took their lead from their betters and carried out the operation thoroughly."

In that case you can direct your apologies to the families of the troops.

[Pyro7480]

As the old insult goes, you’re kind of like summer. You have no class.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“Foraging in enemy country is not necessarily thieving. The confederates foraged in union territory too, FYI.”

I believe if you do your research you will find that the Confederate Armies operating in the east (PA and MD) were scrupulous in issuing chits for supplies sequestered. You will not find the Confederate Army burning barns, homes and looting the family of all precious metals. That distinction was earned by the Union Army in the coastal Carolinas, Shenendoah, and Georgia. It was in fact a direct order to do so by Union Generals. Once again, it is what it was.

[reed13]

My GGGrandad was in the Indiana 8th.

As to some of the other comments - both sides were equally guilty of travesties in this bloody mess. As such then the maker will set the price for the deeds of each. Our duty is to honor their service - on both sides.

[Redleg Duke]

Ignore that jerk. People who are not able to achieve can only justify their own shortcomings by tearing down others.

[reed13]

Not true of the raids in Ohio/Indiana. As I stated both sides were guilty. The maker will set the price.

[Pyro7480]

Yes. Should the descendants of families of Maryland and southern Pennsylvania ask reparations for Confederate “foraging”?

[Rappini]

I’m surprised that nobody complained about wearing Confederate Uniforms and the smoke from the Muskets.

[Stonewall Jackson]

Here's Charleston and the SCV at their finest.

The funeral for the crew of the CSS Hunley

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“Should the descendants of families of Maryland and southern Pennsylvania ask reparations for Confederate “foraging”?”

No, you got what you paid for, the destruction of half of the nation, the death of 10% of the male population and a century of regional colonialism. BTW, who would you submit your claims to?

[Pyro7480]

Perhaps you should have read the article excerpted above before unleashing your fingers on the keyboard:

"Makes you realize how," murmured a woman standing beside me as Simpson's grave marker was unveiled. She had a pronounced Southern accent and was wiping her eyes, clearly moved.

Aiming her Canon camera at the whiskered Union and Confederate re-enactors standing at attention beside the graves, she cleared her throat and added, "Every American ought to be here this morning to see this. If they did, we might not be in such a big ugly rush to tear each other apart."

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“Every American ought to be here this morning to see this. If they did, we might not be in such a big ugly rush to tear each other apart.”

Great words. Too bad Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan didn’t subscribe to them, things would have been different.

[skeeter]

Foraging mission is short for stealing from the locals.

I guess they should've just had their MRE's flown in.

Idiot.

[Stonewall Jackson]

I loved that quote.

Today, it is almost impossible to imagine Americans getting into such a brutal internal conflict that 10% of the male population is killed. That would be the equivalent of 15,000,000!

[Pyro7480]

LOL! That's a plain non-sequitur. Here's more from the second article linked to in post #5 above:

In giving the background of the events leading up to the ceremony Saturday, James A. Clifton said from words passed down through families, “It is believed that Lassiter expressed sympathy for the death of the men. Although he had fought against their comrades, he had seen bravery on both sides and felt is should not be forgotten. The pledge was made to treat the grave site with reverence.”

That story - and land - was passed from Daniel Lassiter to his son, John Lassiter; and then to his grandson, Mason Lassiter. In 1974 Mason sold the land where the graves are located to Roy Moss, who continued the tradition of revering the site. Moss, 81, is a U.S. Navy veteran. His family lived in Richmond County during the Civil War, and his great-grandfather was a soldier in the Confederate Army.

Moss wanted to assist the project to protect the graves in perpetuity under N.C. law.

Ed Snyder of Cordova in Richmond County is a reenactor with the 26th S.C. Volunteers, Sons of Mars, Sons of Confederate Veterans. As a member of the executive board of the Richmond County Historical Society, he took on the task of identifying the Union soldiers and marking their graves, a task with which he has prior experience as a reenactor.

“I think all who serve this country in time of war should have a marked grave,” Snyder said. His great-grandfather was a captain in the Richmond County Confederate Home Guard. “I knew somewhere these Union soldiers had a family that might want to find them.” He said he believes that even though he is “a die-hard Confederate (son of) and Southerner” and still believes in the Confederate cause.

It's sad that you can't have the same class as these Southerners.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“I guess they should’ve just had their MRE’s flown in.

Idiot.”

No, they should have paid for it. Idiot. Please tell me why you would burn the house, barn and take the silverware if you were hungry? Why insure the seed corn is destroyed if you were merely looking to feed yourself? Spare me your outrage. The method of operation was designed to cripple the civilian population. Brave servicemen looting civilians.

[Non-Sequitur]

Thank you.

[Non-Sequitur]

It is what it is. They were invaders who looted the countryside.

Would you apply that same label to Lee's men during their campaigns in the Maryland and Pennsylvania during 1862 and 1863?

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I believe if you do your research you will find that the Confederate Armies operating in the east (PA and MD) were scrupulous in issuing chits for supplies sequestered.

So if the Union foragers had only given out worthless scrip based on a valueless currency, it all would have been okay?

[GOP_Party_Animal]

Not an assumption, a known fact: foraging was stealing from locals.

So you know that for a fact? You know these men were thieves? I wonder how you got that information from the article, since it didn't mention anything about what they had stolen.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“So if the Union foragers had only given out worthless scrip based on a valueless currency, it all would have been okay?”

That would have been a start at civilized behavior. Then if union forces could have restrained themsevles from burning the farm while carrying off any valuables might have sealed the deal that the union stood for something other than brute force. I don’t know, but it seems pretty simple. What would be your reaction if today’s servicemen acted this way towards any civilian population it occupied? Just askin.

[Non-Sequitur]

If the Sons of Confederate Veterans provide fanfare for union casualties, doesn't stand to reason that they'd provide fanfare for confederate casualties?

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War decorates the graves of Civil War veterans in the local cemetary, both Union and confederate. Each grave gets the appropriate flag. Respecting the other side's dead is pretty universal. At least it should be.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

The United States wasn’t much interested in “sealing the deal that the union stood for something other than brute force.” They were trying to end a war that had dragged on for four years by destroying the enemies will and ability to fight. The rebelling states could have stopped it any time they wanted.

[skeeter]

Foraging was a fact of life for armies for thousands of years. Still is, in certain cases.

Most historically literate people know that.

That wouldn't include you, I take it.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

“They were trying to end a war that had dragged on for four years by destroying the enemies will and ability to fight.”

Yeah, the old “we destroyed the village to save the village” meme. Or “we were just following orders”. Take your pick. You are what you do, not what you say you will do. Or more to the point, what you told people you did.

“The rebelling states could have stopped it any time they wanted.”

Believe this is what is known as a two way street amigo.

[Mr. Lucky]

Thes five brave soldiers died in the service of their country.

Your post should be an embarrassment to you. Show some class and ask that it be pulled.

[fatboy]

Celtic Cross said: Foraging in enemy country is not necessarily thieving. The confederates foraged in union territory too, FYI.

Exactly right. And if anyone disagrees, ask this simple question: What was Heth's division doing on the Chambersburg Pike west of Gettysburg, June 30, 1863?

In his own words "On the morning of June 30, I ordered Brigadier-General Pettigrew to take his brigade to Gettysburg, search the town for army supplies (shoes especially), and return the same day.General Heth CSA