Soldiers
Honored
On December 28, 2002, members of five
camps of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and a Louisiana
re-enactor group, and other volunteers worked all day to exhume
the remains of two soldiers that served in the U.S. Colored Infantry.
The two men were Jackson Ross, Co. I 47 U.S. Colored Infantry
and Wesley Gilbert, Co. E 52 U.S. Colored Infantry. The remains
were placed in handmade coffins and stored at a funeral home.
On February 21, 2003 the coffins were
placed in the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, located on the
park grounds. Battery L, 2nd U.S. Artillery stood guard through
the night.
On February 22, 2003, the weather was
dreary and cold with the rain drizzling. People continued to come
in as they would for a modern day funeral, the rain and muddy
slopes did not keep them from attending. The ceremony began with
the Port Gibson Heritage Singers singing old songs, no musical
instruments, just the beautiful voices of this local group. As
they were singing, the handmade coffins were loaded onto the horse
drawn caissons for the processional up the long hill from the
Church to the cemetery. The coffins were carried to the burial
site by men in gray and blue uniforms. In the procession was a
piper, Page Brooks, Color Guards of the Port Gibson High School
Army JROTC, 18th Indiana Light Artillery, Mississippi Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans Jeff Davis Legion, Third Brigade
Mississippi Division Sons of Confederate Veterans, Stockdale Rangers,
Brookhaven Light Artillery, Col. Moses Jackson, and B.G. William
T. Martin Camps. the horse drawn caissons of the 18th Indiana
Light Artillery, and Uniformed Troops Representing all organizations
and re-enactors.
Reverend Stan Copeland, Chaplain, Major,
United States Army (Ret.), led the opening prayer followed by
the singing of the National Anthem sung by Ms. Carolyn Hall of
Port Gibson. The crowd remained quiet during Raising the Colors,
and joined in the Pledges and Salutes to the Colors. Ed Funchess,
Adjutant, Stockdale's Rangers 4th Mississippi Calvary, SCV, McComb,
Mississippi, gave the memorial address. Mr. Funchess said "The
exact time and circumstances of their deaths is not known."
Commander Kent Oestenstad, Union Troops and Sons of Union Veterans
along with Rev. Copeland performed the Graveside Service followed
by piper Page Brooks playing "Amazing Grace".
Once the piper stopped, there was silence,
then the salutes by massed Union and Confederate Infantry, Battery
L, 2nd U.S. Artillery, Stanford's Mississippi Battery, and Turner's
Battery, 1st Mississippi Light Artillery. The salutes rang throughout
the woods and echoed to the Mississippi River, the crowd not knowing
if it touched their heart that much or the roar caused their hearts
to flutter. After the final shot, Taps was played by Jennifer
Hughes of McComb, Mississippi and the funeral ended with prayer
by Rev. Copeland.
Although no descendants of Gilbert or
Ross could be found, re-enactors from Mississippi Alabama, Tennessee
and surrounding states crowded to pay their respects. The crowd
came despite the weather, many slid and had mud from head to toe,
but this did not stop them from staying to the end. Comments were
made about how moving this ceremony was. Yes, it was just another
funeral, but was it? This was to honor two soldiers that died
during a time in our history when our country was divided, a time
then brother fought brother, North fought South. Then this funeral
of these two men that fought with the U.S. Colored Troops took
place around 140 years after they were placed in the ground the
first time, giving honor to them by the descendants of those that
fought each other. Just another funeral? You decide.
If we left out anyone, it was not intentional,
just an honest mistake. It is amazing how people pulled together
to honor these men, no expense to the State of Mississippi, just
volunteers doing what was right.