Montgomery's Oakwood Cemetery

Prattville Dragoon Rob Heyward made a terrific presentation on Montgomery's Oakwood Cemetery in the Camp 1524 May meeting reminding everyone that night was the 155th anniversary of General Thomas Stonewall Jackson's death.   Rob related that he took a cemetery tour hosted by 85 year old Mary Ann Neeley who was a wonderful wealth of knowledge regarding the cemetery and Montgomery history.  The first burial in Oakwood was in 1812 and there are perhaps 200,000 graves there including victims of river drownings, a famous burglar and of course many Confederate veterans.  Henry Washington Hilliard was a minister to Brazil and one of those Confederates buried there.  William Burr Howell, the father of Varina Howell, Jefferson Daviis' wife is also interred at Oakwood. Governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick was the last governor of Alabama when the state capital was still Tuscaloosa and the last before Reconstruction.  There were many Confederate hospitals in Montgomery so there were a lot of deceased soldiers and at one point there was about one death every day from these hospitals. Montgomery has river and rail transport which made it a central location for these hospitals even though it was small in population with only about 8000 residents during the time of the War.   After the War the Ladies Memorial Association cared for the graves of the veterans including the 724 Confederate soldiers buried under marble headstones line after line as well as a number of Union soldiers. In this Confederate section of the cemetery is the oldest Confederate monument in existence, erected in 1868 by thee LMA.  There is also a monument to the Confederate 6th Regiment AL infantry which dates to 1886. A number of Confederate Generals are buried in Oakwood including Brig. General James Holtzclaw who was wounded at Franklin TN.  Brig. General Tennant Lomax is also identified as a Colonel as he was awarded his promotion but died at Seven Pines with the letter of promotion still in his pocket.  Brig. General James Holt Clanton was known as a man of great devotion, shot by a Union officer during an altercation after the War, the town of Clanton in Alabama is named for him.  Brig. General Birkett Davenport Fry was wounded and lost a limb during the War and was wounded at Gettysburg during Pickett's Charge.  Many statesmen are buried in Montgomery as it has been the seat of state government for over 150 years. William Lowndes Yancey was renowned as one of the great orators in our country's history and led the push for secession.  He was historically known for introducing Jefferson Davis in Montgomery saying, "The hour and the man have met."  Yancey's law office served as the 1st Confederate Post Office.  He dies in 1863.  Governor William Calvin Holt was a Confederate officer who led the Alabama 15th at Gettysburg in the battle for Little Round Top after his troops had marched 20 miles to the battlefield.  Governor Thomas Goode Jones for which the Law School at Faulkner University is named carried the flag of truce at Appomattox for Lee.  Major Hnery Semple, a famous Confederate officer is the namesake for SCV Camp 2002.  Rob fittingly also included in his discussion mention of Mrs. Benajah Smith Bibb who was founder of the LMA and passes away in 1919 and was laid at rest there in Oakwood.  Rob included many photographs in a Powerpoint presentation as well as a map of the noted grave locations.  An outstanding entertaining and educational speech.