Confederate Memorial Day 2011
At 2:00 PM, Sunday April 10th, the Athens-Limestone Chamber of Commerce and the Captain Thomas H. Hobbs Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans commemorated April as Confederate Heritage and History Month in Alabama.
With 2011 marking the first year of the Sesquicentennial (150-year anniversary) of a war that still conjures up debate over its cause, effect and outcome, it was befitting to hold this years commemoration ceremony in front of the Confederate Monument on the Northeast corner of the Courthouse Square.
This program is to commemorate and honor the men of Athens and Limestone County who left their homes, farms and loved ones to endure extreme hardship as well as the dangers and horrors of battle to defend their country during the four years of the War for Southern Independence from 1861-1865. Those that returned found their homes and land in ruins. They worked through the hardships of Reconstruction to build the city and county we have today.
Guest speakers were Cyndi Himes, Third Vice President, Ala. Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and president of the Mary Fielding Chapter Order of Confederate Rose.
Also Thomas V. Strain Jr., of Athens, the Army of Tennessee Commander of Sons of Confederate Veterans spoke to the guest about the importance of commemorating the Confederate Memorial day each year. He also told how the day became a holiday and the circumstances which led to the observance. Strain said, "Today, there are only 8 southern states that still observe Confederate Memorial day, most of them observe the holiday as we do in Alabama the fourth Monday in the month of April." Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Louisiana are the only states which still observe this day.
In his closing remarks, he referred to the words found on the Confederate Soldier monument, "Lest we forget, that's why we are here today, because we haven't forgot!"Teresa Todd
AthensPlus.com
April 10th 2011History of Confederate Memorial Day
Mrs. Charles J. Williams' husband served as Colonel of the 1st Georgia Regiment, CSA during the War Between
the States. He died of disease in 1862 and was buried in his home town of Columbus. Disease commonly killed more soldiers during the war than did the battles.
Mrs. Williams and her daughter visited his grave often and cleared the weeds and leaves from it, then placed flowers on it. Her daughter also pulled the weeds from other soldiers graves near her father. It saddened the little girl that many graves were unmarked. With tears of pride she said to her mother, "These are my soldiers graves." Suddenly the little daughter too became ill and passed away. As one could imagine, Mrs. William's grief was almost unbearable, but while visiting the graves of her husband and daughter, Mrs. Williams looked at all of the unkept soldiers' graves and remembered the words her daughter had told her, "These are my soldiers graves, " she then knew what she had to do.
Williams wrote a letter that was published in many Southern newspapers asking the women of Dixie for help. She asked that organizations be formed in taking care of the thousands of Confederate graves from the Potomac River to the Rio Grande. She also asked state legislatures to set aside an April day to remember the men of gray.
With her leadership many Southern states adopted April 26th, as Confederate Memorial Day. Mrs. Williams died in 1874, but lived to see her native Georgia adopt April 26th as Confederate Memorial Day. Today, it is still a legal holiday.
