Sacred Ground

R E S P E C T

President Lincoln gave voice to his now famous and much quoted phrase “those who gave the Last Full Measure…” when he briefly spoke at the dedication of the final resting place of the US soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Bobby Lee and his rebel invaders at Gettysburg over 3 days in July of 1863.

It was the largest land battle in the Western Hemisphere with over 53,000 killed, wounded and missing. It is the most visited and studied battlefield in our National Park System. President and former General Eisenhower choose to retire near there.

I grew up closer to Antietam, the site of America’s “bloodiest day” with 23,110 killed, wounded and missing in just 12 hours, from before sunrise to sunset.

In both cases Lee brought his Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River to attempt to influence the course of the war for Souther Independence, that would preserve slavery. He knew that he did not need to win the war…he just needed to not lose it. Maybe the north would get tired of the carnage and give up.

These “killing fields” are sacred ground. They are places to reflect on war and how and why we as human beings come to this kind of horrific violence, over our conflicting beliefs.

Most of the US troops who died on these fields are buried close by in cemeteries set up by mostly local and state people to honor the sacrifice of those soldiers.

The Rebel soldiers killed at South Mountain and Antietam are buried in Hagerstown in an unmarked, except for one statue, mass grave. I participated in a burial there of some Confederate remains found at Antietam in the 1980’s or 90’s.

Because of the vast numbers of dead…with many passing away in the weeks and months after the battles at home or in a field hospital… the US established a National Cemetery on the grounds of Arlington House, across the Potomac River from DC.

This was a Washington/Custis family home, a family Lee had married into. It was mostly the residence of his wife and children, because Col. Lee was frequently posted in places like Texas before the war broke out and he gave up his US Army Commission and cast his lot with the rebels.

The United States had seized the property at the beginning of the war because it overlooked DC and had tactical value. By 1864 the Secretary of War decided to use it as a much needed final resting place for the ever increasing killed in action. I think this was Stanton’s way of telling Bob Lee that he had chosen sides poorly. Thus Arlington Cemetery began it’s roll and has increased from 200 acres to 639 acres with over 400,000 buried there.

Because I work events in DC I frequently stay in the Arlington area and spend time strolling among the graves or visiting Arlington House. The most significant burial ceremony I’ve encountered was the internment of the remains of sailors from the US ironclad Monitor,

who had perished in a storm off of Cape Hatteras during the Civil War. The ship had made history just 9 months before as she saved the US fleet at Hampton Roads from the CS ironclad Virginia.

The remains of the crew were in 2 caskets which were moved to the burial site by 2 horse drawn caissons. It was VERY formal with full military honors.

A 21 gun salute and taps ended the ceremony, which I will never forget.

Peace.