On the track's infield, they built a 10-foot fence and dug 257 graves. Most of the soldiers who died at the Race Course prison had been malnourished or exposed to the elements too long to survive. They had been buried together in shallow graves, without coffins, behind the judge's stand.
The efforts to bury them were coordinated by freed slaves and missionaries and teachers working with the freedmen's relief associations...These former slaves were joined by several Union regiments, including the 104th and 35th "colored regiments," as well as the famous 54th Massachusetts. These companies marched around the graves in solemn salute....After the picnic, the crowd drifted away at dusk. They had spent the entire day at the new cemetery.
I did not know this about this area of Charleston. Sad this happened. By the end of the war, no one had much food, and enemy soldiers were not a high priority. Too bad a prisoner exchange deal was not brokered.
"We're approaching a tipping point," Greene said. "The irony of the story is that Charleston is the cradle of the Confederacy, but the memorial was for Union soldiers. It shows the richness of Charleston history."
The irony is also those knuckle-draggers who have issues with incontinence and petty obsessiveness. Memorial Day should be a day to pay respect to all of our courageous servicemen. FReepers who cannot suspend their bigotry for even a moment of respect are beneath contempt.