The history of Confederate Memorial Day lays its roots back to 1862 when a grieved widow of a Confederate soldier started a pilgrimage to his graveside. The inspiration came from her small child who would pick the weeds and place flowers on the unmarked Confederate soldiers graves commonly referring to them as her soldier's graves. The Georgia General Assembly in 1874 provided legislation for a new public holiday that April 26th of each year would be known as Memorial Day. Georgia Governor James Smith signed the legislation into law. It appears that the reason for the 26th of April date was that was the date that General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered in North Carolina thus bringing the end of the War between the States for Georgia. In the language of this legislation it is clear that April 26th was already being celebrated as Confederate Memorial Day in the state unofficially. Below is an excerpt from the Confederate Veteran magazine (1893) which may shed some light on the holidays beginning. On April 12th 1866, a woman's memorial association in Columbus, GA called for a special day of memorial. On April 26th, 1866 an Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association held a Confederate Memorial observance at Oakland Cemetery. Many Southern States observed Confederate Memorial Day on different dates. Florida joined Georgia celebrating it on April 26th. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial day on the last Monday of April. Alabama celebrates it on the forth Monday of April. North and South Carolina celebrate it on May the 10th which is the anniversary of Jefferson Davis's capture. Louisiana and Tennessee celebrate on June 3rd, where Tennessee calls the observance Confederate Decoration Day. The reason for June 3rd is that it is Jefferson Davis's birthday. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on January 19th (Gen. Robert E. Lee's birthday) and Virginia calls its Confederate Memorial Day the last Monday in May. The reason that we celebrate is to remember the lives of these veterans and the sacrifices they made. To pay honor and respect to the heroes of the Southland...the Southland that they shed their blood for...for the very blood that courses through our own veins...for the pride they left for us and the pride we have for them. We should all celebrate Confederate Memorial Day and its observance within our local communities. Sons of Confederate Veterans Camps all over the United States do observances for the Confederate Veterans on these Memorial dates and I challenge anyone reading this to get involved with these observances and be a part.
From the May, 1893 issue of "Confederate Veteran," the Origin of Memorial Day
It is a matter of history that Mrs. Chas. J. Williams, of Columbus, Ga., instituted the beautiful custom of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers, a custom which has been adopted throughout the United States. Mrs. Williams was the daughter of Maj. John Howard, of Milledgeville, Ga., and was a superior woman. She married Maj. C. J. Williams on his return from the Mexican War. As colonel of the First Georgia Regulars, of the Army in Virginia, he contracted disease, from which he died in 1862, and was buried in Columbus, Ga.
Mrs. Williams and her little girl visited his grave every day, and often comforted themselves by wreathing it with flowers. While the mother sat abstractly thinking of the loved and lost one, the little one would pluck the weeds from the unmarked soldiers' graves near her father's and cover them with flowers, calling them her soldiers' graves.
After a short time while the dear little girl was summoned by the angels to join her father. The sorely bereaved mother then took charge of these unknown graves for the child's sake, and as she cared for them thought of the thousands of patriot graves throughout the South, far away from home and kindred, and in this way the plan was suggested to her of setting apart one day in each year, that love might pay tribute to valor throughout the Southern States. In March, 1868, she addressed a communication to the Columbus Times, an extract of which I give:
"We beg the assistance of the press and the ladies throughout the South to aid us in the effort to set apart a certain day to be observed from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, and to be handed down through time as a religious custom of the South, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers, and we propose the 26th day of April as the day."
She then wrote to the Soldiers' Aid Societies in every Southern State, and they readily responded and reorganized under the name of Memorial Associations. She lived long enough to see her plan adopted all over the South, and in 1868 throughout the United States. Mrs. Williams died April 15, 1874, and was buried with military honors. On each returning Memorial Day the Columbus military march around her grave, and each deposits a floral offering.
The Legislature of Georgia, in 1874, set apart the 26th day of April as a legal holiday in obedience to her request. Would be that every Southern State observed the same day.
The marching armies of the past Along our Southern plains, Are sleeping now in quiet rest Beneath the Southern rains. The bugle call is now in vain To rouse them from their bed; To arms they'll never march again-- They are sleeping with the dead. No more will Shiloh's plains be stained With blood our heroes shed, Nor Chancellorsville resound again To our noble warriors' tread. For them no more shall reveille Sound at the break of dawn, But may their sleep peaceful be Till God's great judgment morn. We bow our heads in solemn prayer For those who wore the gray, And clasp again their unseen hands On our Memorial Day.
Webmaster Jim J. Gray
Copyright © 2001 by 6th Brigade, Georgia Division, SCV. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
06/15/03 18:22:40 -0400.