Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, started around the time of the Civil War when people wanted to pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who had given their lives for their country. So Greg and I decided that it would be appropriate to visit "my" Civil War soldiers at Camp Butler National Cemetery here in Springfield for Memorial Day this year. I call them "my" soldiers because I have researched their lives for the Civil War presentation I give at the Lincoln Home, and I almost feel like I know them.

Camp Butler was originally established in 1861 as a recruiting and training camp for Illinois soldiers. After the Union victory at Fort Donelson, Tennessee in 1862, they decided to transform the camp into a prison for captured Confederate soldiers. A portion of the prison camp soon had to be set aside as a cemetery to accommodate the casualties of illness or the harsh weather. Throughout the course of the war, 866 Confederate soldiers and 766 Union soldiers (who had been stationed there to guard the prisoners) were buried at Camp Butler. It is still a functioning National Cemetery, and it is quite an overwhelming feeling to stand there and look out over rows and rows of white headstones--especially with an American flag by each grave for Memorial Day.

So here is a Memorial Day tribute to some of my Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate:












Isaac Hiner was an 18-year-old farmer from Knox County, Illinois, when he joined the Union Army. He stood 5' 6" tall and had brown hair and hazel eyes. His regiment was stationed at Camp Butler to guard Confederate prisoners, and Isaac contracted smallpox from the prisoners. He died on February 13, 1865, just weeks before the end of the war.












Then we have the Empson brothers, part of the 30th Tennessee Infantry. Thomas D. Empson (left) was born on January 2, 1838, and his brother James R. Empson (right) was born on November 2, 1841. Thomas was married and had a son who was two-months-old when Thomas and James enlisted in the Confederate Army. The brothers were both captured at Fort Donelson and sent as prisoners to Camp Butler.

It is interesting to note that the headstone at Camp Butler says "J. R. Empson," but family letters and other documents indicate that it was actually Thomas who died at Camp Butler on April 30, 1862. There is record of James R. taking an oath of allegiance to the United States at Camp Butler in September 1862. There must be some story as to why the headstone says "J. R." instead of "Thomas," but I have yet to solve the mystery.










Next we have Isaiah Burkett who was born on December 30, 1825, in Missouri. He married, had a family, and later moved to Texas where he left his wife, three daughters, and unborn son to join the Confederate Army. He was also captured at Fort Donelson and sent to Camp Butler as a prisoner. He would die of pneumonia on February 19, 1863.

These are just a few faces from the 1,642 Civil War soldiers buried at Camp Butler. When looking at all of those graves, it's kind of hard to remember that each headstone marks an actual person's entire life. When we got to the cemetery today and saw all of the flags that the Boy Scouts had put by the graves, I wondered what they would have done at the Confederate graves. I was happy to see that in addition to an American flag, each Confederate grave had a small "stars and bars" flag--the first national flag of the Confederacy. Even though I don't agree with all of the principles upon which the Confederate States of America were founded, I think it is important that we remember the C.S.A. as an actual entity for which people fought and died. The bottom line is that all of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War, both Union and Confederate, were Americans. As Abraham Lincoln pointed out in his second inaugural address, both the North and South "read the same Bible and pray to the same God." The America that emerged from the Civil War was a stronger country, ready to overcome any challenge--because compared to the loss of life and devastation of the Civil War, no challenge seemed too great. The Civil War was really when America decided that it was going stick together for the long haul, and I think it is important to remember both sides of the conflict. So as we celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow, let's try to remember the reason for this wonderful holiday--the sacrifices of all American soldiers from the Revolutionary War to today.