15th May 2008
A chapter of my family history
I’ve been digging into my family tree, and learned that my 3x-great-grandfather (Sylvanus) was a Union soldier in the Civil War. A cousin-once-removed that I recently reconnected with had an amazing anecdote…
I grew up with Mom telling me about Ophelia’s husband [Sylvanus] dying on the train returning from Sherman’s March. He died of starvation, 17 miles from home, on his return home to her. Ophelia was given his body when she met the train. He was barely recognizable — filthy and emaciated and long-haired and bearded. Ophelia grieved his loss the rest of her life. It was a heart-breaking story that I heard many times.
That’s seriously awful — go to the station to meet your spouse, end up taking home a coffin. At least the modern army manages to properly feed its soldiers.
What makes this additionally poignant (and just a bit ironic) is that I recently moved to Columbia, SC, which he helped to destroy.
I’ve been digging into my family tree, and learned that my 3x-great-grandfather (Sylvanus) was a Union soldier in the Civil War. A cousin-once-removed that I recently reconnected with had an amazing anecdote…
I grew up with Mom telling me about Ophelia’s husband [Sylvanus] dying on the train returning from Sherman’s March. He died of starvation, 17 miles from home, on his return home to her. Ophelia was given his body when she met the train. He was barely recognizable — filthy and emaciated and long-haired and bearded. Ophelia grieved his loss the rest of her life. It was a heart-breaking story that I heard many times.
That’s seriously awful — go to the station to meet your spouse, end up taking home a coffin. At least the modern army manages to properly feed its soldiers.
What makes this additionally poignant (and just a bit ironic) is that I recently moved to Columbia, SC, which he helped to destroy.
Posted in genealogy, random self-love, war what is it good for | No Comments »