Gordonsville Cemetery VA; Civil War Soldiers

The Maplewood Memorial Association

Has erected this tablet

As a tribute of respect to

Some seven hundred Confederate soldiers

Mainly from North Carolina and Georgia

Who laid down their lives

For The cause they love and lost

Their names are perished

May their memory be imperishable!

In Gordonsville Cemetery there is a large stone monument to fallen Civil War soldiers. It sits at the edge of a peaceful green field where there’s a whispering wind in the trees. Could the whisper be voices of these 700 brave men who fell so far from home and lie in a spot unmarked by their names? Were their mothers and sisters ever able to stand at this resting spot; to leave a handful of flowers, shed a tear and say a prayer?

I recently posted about my visit to the Gordonsville Hospital in Virginia. It was the last stop for Martin Penn Brumfield, my 2^nd great grand uncle, and many more soldiers during the Civil War. The hotel had become a hospital that treated thousands of soldiers.

After touring the museum and finding Martin’s name I spoke to the volunteer at the museum, asking where the soldiers were buried. She explained that they had, originally, been buried on the grounds but later were moved to the Maplewood Cemetery. She gave me directions to the cemetery which was close by and told me how to find the correct section on the cemetery. I parked my car and spent some quiet moments there. I looked out and tried to picture 700 men standing in the field, leaning on a rifle, sipping water from a canteen, feeling the wind on their faces. I wondered what they would tell me about their lives, their service and their deaths.

There are a few inscriptions with brief details. Those markers memorialize these soldiers:

William Nance, NC, 1819 – 1864

John W Tilley, NC, 1843 – 1863

William H Qualls, NC, 1836 – 1863

Barney Chael, NC, 1820 – 1863

Landon P Carter, VA

Alexander H Beddingfield, NC, 1840 – 1863

James Edmondson, NC, 1863

James William Wood, NC, 1832 – 1863

Matthew W Jackson, NC, 1829 – 1862

Stephen Hicks, NC, 1839 – 1863

Howell Hicks, NC, 1829 – 1862

Elkanah C Litton, NC, 1836 – 1862

Thomas H Lane, NC, 1832 – 1863

Jasper Emory, NC, 1834 – 1863

I have photos of each of these stones. If you find a family member here I will be glad to send you a photo with more details.

Related Post:

• Gordonsville Hospital/Museum, VA