Alamance County NcArchives History - Books .....Confederate Marker 1961 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 12, 2007, 10:12 pm Book Title: Confederate Memoirs Confederate Marker Too often our present generation tends to lose sight of the fact that men and women of the Civil War period and the tragic era which followed were real people with hopes and fears and desires that burn in our hearts today. The monuments erected today serve as reminders of the honor, courage and devotion of duty displayed by our Confederates during this period of travail. Alamance County's memorial to her soldiers of the Confederacy is a towering monument with a silent figure surmounting the shaft of Italian marble, erected by the Graham UDC Chapter #944. Erected near the courthouse which stands in the center of the square, the monument is placed so that it can be viewed by all who pass through this busy business section. Dedication of the monument on May 15, 1914, after many months of strenuous devotion and work, marked a milestone for the Graham Chapter whose members, along with friends, thronged the courthouse area at 2:00 P.M. that day for the parade, festivities and program including the unveiling of the monument by Miss Kathleen Long. Speaker of the day was Major Henry A. London of Pittsboro, a distinguished lawyer, editor and orator and a gallant Confederate soldier who followed Lee and whose duty required him to carry the last message from one commanding officer to the other on the day Lee surrendered his army on April 9, 1865. In his address, Major London remarked that no county deserved to honor its soldiers more than Alamance. The very name Alamance, (which in Indian means "Blue Clay" from the stream to which its name is given), is suggestive of its people. He also pointed out that Alamance County sent into the Confederacy as many men as it had voters. The main body of the monument, rising 25 feet high, is of Winnsboro granite, the only Confederate marker in the county. The cost of the monument was $2,100. The county's donation was $1,000, but a total of $62.85 of this amount was returned. For an additional $305.00 a mound was erected around the base of the monument and enclosed with granite posts and iron chains. It is well to believe that months of raising money for the monument followed as pennies and dimes grew into dollars. Members of Graham Chapter gave ice cream suppers and served suppers to make money to pay the indebtedness, so great was their desire to have a debt free memorial to Alamance County confederates. Donations were solicited, contributions sought as they struggled to preserve in granite the splendid, yet tragic, hour of North Carolina history. Included in the processional on May 16, 1914, when the monument was dedicated, were mounted marshals, the speakers, approximately 75 Confederate Veterans, the Oneida band, Daughters of the Confederacy, school children and the Holt guards. The program of the day was as follows: Song: "Tenting Tonight" Prayer: Dr. E. C. Murray Music: "Maryland, My Maryland" Introduction of speaker: Col. J. A. Long Address: Major Henry A. London Presentation of monument: E. C. Murray Acceptance: G. T. Williamson Unveiling of monument: Miss Kathleen Long Firing salute: Holt guards Music: "Dixie" by band Decoration of monument with flowers: Children Benediction: Dr. E. C. Murray Additional Comments: Extracted from: Confederate Memoirs Alamance County Troops of The War Between The States 1861-1865 Roster of Troops Mrs. J. G. Tingen Mrs. Ava Burke Miss Bertha Cates Histories and Articles Mable S. Lassiter Advisory Board Howard White Luther Byrd Centennial Edition File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/alamance/history/1961/confeder/confeder41gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb