Memorial Day Tribute to General Joshua W. Sill

Last week I traveled to Chillicothe, Ohio where I presented a talk to the Ross County Historical Society entitled "Death of a General: The Final Days of General Joshua W. Sill." 
General Joshua Sill gravestone

 Chillicothe is an important place to me as it is the hometown of my great grandfather, and also the burial place of one of my Civil War ancestors. I can truly say that this ancestor inspired me on this path of researching the events of the Civil War. It started in the late 1990s when my grandmother gave me a Civil War discharge certificate of someone named James Morrow. "I know that we're related to him somehow, but I'm not sure how," she said. "Can you dig into and let me know what you can find out?" 

 After establishing our familial connection with him (he was my grandmother's father's grandfather), I started researching his Civil War service with the 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. The more I read about their service, the more I became intrigued with the life of the common soldier in that conflict. Learning about Morrow's wartime experiences also inspired me to dig further into our family's history and I soon learned that Grandpa Morrow wasn't our only Civil War vet- three other direct ancestors served in the war (two from Ohio and two from Indiana), all of whom survived the conflict. I also found numerous other relatives (uncles, brothers, brothers-in-law, etc.) that served in the war, a few of whom did not return. It was fascinating and sobering at the same time. 

 I had a little time before the talk at Ross County Historical Society to tour the downtown districts of Chillicothe; this included a drive-by visit of great-great-great grandpa Morrow's house on Hickory St. (still standing) and a visit to Grandview Cemetery where he is buried. A quick visit to the downtown library also gave me the exact locations of grandpa Morrow's grave site as well as that of General Sill. 

 The name of the cemetery (Grandview) was certainly apt as it is located atop a hill overlooking Chillicothe; the view was likely considerably more 'grand' when General Sill was buried there in 1863 as the view today is accented by an unsightly cell phone tower and an equally unsightly smokestack for the local paper mill. 
Private James Morrow, Co. H, 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry gravestone at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.

 Grandpa Morrow's stone was in good shape. We are fortunate in that the writing on his stone faces northward so it isn't exposed to the weather all of the time. Other having a fair amount of moss growing on it, it cleaned up nicely just with some mild scrubbing. His stone resides in a family plot; the graves of two of his sons (both died at age 18) are there and his wife (my great-great-great grandmother) rests there in an unmarked grave. There are two other unmarked graves on the plot: one for his daughter Lida (my great-great grandmother) and one of her sons who died young. 

 After paying my respects to the family, I drove over to section 5 to visit General Sill's grave. As discussed in a previous blog post (see https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/2018/12/death-of-general-final-days-of-joshua.html) General Sill, a native of Chillicothe, was killed on December 31, 1862 while leading his brigade at the Battle of Stones River. He was beloved by his men for his kind disposition and competence; General Sill was a spiritual man who loved the Lord and it was something of a surprise that he chose the military profession instead of becoming a member of the clergy. 

 General Sill's gravestone is in decent shape but I learned at the end of my talk that the local Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War camp had succeeded in raising enough money to restore the monument; that work should be done by next Memorial Day. 
This plaque was placed on General Sill's monument by the
officers and men of Fort Sill; the fort was named by
General Phil Sheridan for his dear friend Joshua Sill. 

 One surprise that I found at Grandview Cemetery lay beside General Sill's grave: that of a Confederate officer named Charles Taylor Mason. Major Mason, an engineer in the Virginia service, was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and was part of one of the prominent families of the South. Mason enlisted early in the Civil War and at one time served as as escort for Varina Davis, the Confederacy's First Lady. Following the war, Major Mason moved to Chillicothe, Ohio and married Susan James. His postwar career was devoted to civil engineering and his finest professional accomplishment was building a bridge across at the Ohio River at Parkersburg, West Virginia. "Major Mason was a gentleman of the highest type of Virginia cavalier," his obituary stated.  "He was most polished in his manner and his kindly humor and consideration of others made him beloved by all who knew him."

 It struck me as a bit ironic that General Sill, struck down in the Civil War, lies buried next to a soldier of the Confederacy, but at the end of the day they were both Americans, regardless of their differing opinions during the war. At first I thought that poor General Sill must be rolling over in his grave at the thought of being buried next to a Rebel, but the more I read of Major Mason's life it dawned on me that had these two men known one another in life, it's quite possible that they would have been boon companions. Both shared a love of engineering and things military; both were remembered for having kind dispositions and gentle spirits. 
Brigadier General Joshua Woodrow Sill
December 6, 1831-December 31, 1862

 When I think upon the meaning of Memorial Day, it is the opportunity to lay aside our cares and worries for a moment and remember those who sacrificed their all to give us the country that we have. In a sense, these men and women died for an ideal: it is up to us and each succeeding generation to continue struggling for that ideal to ensure that these men and women did not die in vain. It is a challenge that is central to the responsibilities of citizenship in a republic. It is altogether fitting that we remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives to give succeeding generations a better chance in life. 

 This year I'm remembering the life of the gentleman general Joshua Woodrow Sill who gave his life 156 years ago during the Battle of Stones River. 

Comments

  1. Darryl R. SmithMay 28, 2019 at 6:12 AM

    Bummer...had I known you were speaking there I would have come to see your talk. Excellent post!

    ReplyDelete

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