"Nor shall your Glory be forgot
while Fame her record keeps,
for Honor points the hallowed spot
where Valor proudly sleeps."
Theodore O'Hara
These words, written in 1858, speak of a firm commitment to our war dead. Yet today, thousands of brave Americans, who were as patriotic and loyal to their country as those who fought in any military conflict of our nations past, lie in unmarked graves.
From 1861 to 1865, hundreds of thousands of men from all over the South answered the call to defend their native land. Unlike some would have you believe, the vast majority of those men did not fight for the institution of slavery. They fought for their homes; their families; their land; for everything they knew and loved and believed in. Thousands of those men who made the ultimate sacrifice now lie in unmarked graves. After the war, the Federal government attempted to provide a stone for each Union soldier and established National cemeteries for the Union war dead, but no allowance was made for Confederate graves. The war-torn, cash-strapped South was unable to honor the majority of these fallen heroes with a marker for their final resting place. Sadly, these men have been largely forgotten by the generations of today, and many would prefer to keep it that way in order to maintain a "politically correct" stance.
The United States now views Confederate soldiers as American servicemen who died while
in service to (or after having served) their country. The Veterans
Administration will pay the entire cost of a headstone, but most cemeteries charge
for the installation. We, at the Southern Soldiers Remembrance Fund (SSRF), would like to complete the job that
past generations were unable to do. The
SSRF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to
ensuring that memory of those great Southern Patriots is never forgotten!
If this is the type of noble cause that you would like to be a part of, we encourage
you to stand with us, and make your mark on history that will not just be
remembered in legend or on paper, it will be written in stone!
Southern Soldiers
Remembrance Fund
Jim Phelps
jim@southernsoldiers.org
To send a donation,
please make your check payable to "Hollywood Cemetery"
and mail to:
Southern Soldiers Remembrance Fund
5233 Cedon Road
Woodford, VA 22580
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