The Birthplace of Memorial Day in 1863, Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, MS
Friendship Cemetery; Columbus, Mississippi...The Soldiers' Aid Societies of the South became the Ladies Memorial Associations in 1866 and later the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
On April 6-7, 1862 the Battle of Shiloh took place. 24,000 men died. Upon the death of General Johnson, General PGT Beauregard of New Orleans took command of 40,000 Confederate Soldiers trying to stop General Grant from entering Northern Mississippi.
The wounded were sent to Columbus by train and carried for in the homes by the ladies of the Soldiers Aid Societies. Including a home called Twelve Gables, owned by Mrs. Matt Morton.
Those that died were buried in Friendship Cemetery in 1862. The following year, in 1863, three women of Columbus, led by Mrs. Matt Morton, went to the Cemetery to Decorate the Graves. In 1864, they were joined by Mrs. Elizabeth Sykes, who had recently lost her husband. Dr. William Sykes who was a surgeon turned infantryman to defend his family and state from invasion.
On April 26th, 1866 a mile long procession started at the Episcopal church led by the daughters, then the widows, and finally the mothers of the dead. After decorating the Confederate graves, Mrs. Sykes stated: Let us remember them all alike, the men in the Blue and the men in the Gray. They, too, have wives and mothers, sisters and sweethearts who love and mourn them.
Northern Newspapers picked up this story and lawyer-port Francis Miles Finch wrote: The Blue and the Gray which appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in September 1867.
At the same time in Columbus, GA. Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford and sent out letters in the Spring of 1866 to all the Soldiers Aid Societies asking them to all Decorate the Graves on April 26, 1866.
It is plausible that Mrs. Morton received one of those letters from Mrs. Rutherford.
In 1868, Memorial Day was celebrated at Robert E. Lee's Arlington Estate.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy often funded monuments that are being removed and not returned to them.
Despite this information, in 1966, President LBJ declared NY as the birthplace of Memorial Day. Some argue it was to obtain primary election votes in 1968.
Mississippi Roads | 1402 | All About the Dead: Historic Cemeteries | MPB
From Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg.
Featuring Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, Natchez City Cemetery and the Chapel of the Cross Cemetery in Madison County.
Cemeteries around the state are hallowed places that tell us a lot about our history, like Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, one of the country’s oldest and largest cemeteries that’s still in use today. Then we head up to Friendship Cemetery in Columbus where our national Memorial Day holiday has its roots. Down Highway 61 in Natchez, many of the state’s first settlers found their resting places. Finally, the haunting story of Henry Vick at Chapel of the Cross in Madison County plays a central role in that area’s history.
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Twelve Gables in Columbus Mississippi the Birthplace of Memorial Day
Charles Marsala of Save Nola Heritage visits Twelve Gables, the home of Mrs. Matt Morton in Columbus, Mississippi. In 1863, Mrs. Morton began placing flowers on the graves of soldiers from the 1862 Battle of Shiloh.
General PGT Beauregard of New Orleans led 40,000 men to stop General Grant with 54,000 men from invading Northern Mississippi.
The 2-day battle resulted in 24,000 dead. Thousands were sent by train to Columbus and cared for in churches and homes. In 1866, Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford of Columbus, Georgia wrote to the Soldiers Aid Societies of the South asking that they all Decorate the Graves on April 26th.
Mrs. Morton organized an one mile parade from the church to Friendship Cemetery led by the daughters and sisters, then the widows, and finally the mothers of the soldiers.
At the cemetery after 1,400 Confederate graves were decorated, Mrs. Elizabeth Sykes moved to the 52 Union graves and remarked: Let us remember them all alike, the men in the Blue and the men and the Gray. ....
The story was carried in The Mississippi Index, then a Mobile newspaper, and the New York Tribune.
Inspired, Judge Francis Miles Finch of Ithaca, New York wrote :The Blue and The Gray which appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1867. Eventually the organization the United Daughters of the Confederacy formed to honor and remember the 600,000 men of both sides killed in the War for Southern Independence.
In 2017, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu appeared on CBS Good Morning America, and referred to the efforts of UDC as to promote The Cult of the Lost Cause, promote White Supremacy, tell False Narratives, and Historical Lies.
Lowndes County, Mississippi
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Lowndes County is a county located in the U.S.state of Mississippi.As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,779.Its county seat is Columbus.
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Columbus, Mississippi, historic holidays in the southeastern USA
Discover southern hospitality in historic Columbus, Mississippi. Enjoy historic antebellum home tours, the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage and some of the best blues music in the South.
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Chahta Immi Cultural Center, Indian mound sites, Choctaw Indian Fair, Winterville Mounds, Choctaw Fresh Foods
In the next edition of MS Roads we’re taking a look at Mississippi’s diverse Native American heritage. We’re up in Neshoba County at the newly opened Chahta Immi Cultural Center. We’ll travel to some of the important Indian Mound sites around the state and look at a new initiative to share the stories of these historic mounds with visitors. We’ll revisit a story about the much-anticipated annual Choctaw Indian Fair and travel to the Delta for a look in the rearview mirror at a story on the impressive Winterville Mounds. Then we’ll take a look at Choctaw Fresh Foods and their efforts to make fresh produce more readily available to people all over the state.
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