May 27, 2024

Memorial Day at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Photos by Meade.

ADDED: Meade's video of the crowd listening to the Military Service Medley by the VFW 1318 Band:

This last video comes from the part of the cemetery where there are graves of Confederate dead — men who died here in Madison as prisoners of war. We see 2 women tidying up the lawn:

54 comments:

Crimso said...

Some of them fellers are Iron Brigade?

Ralph L said...

Did they ever go through with obliterating the Confederate POW graves?

Dave Begley said...

Yeah, is this where the Confederate dead are buried? And what did the Soviet Madison City Council finally do?

RCOCEAN II said...

You need some boys in Grey. They fought for what they thought was right. Memorial day is about honoring all the soldiers of the Civil war - north and south.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Biden's giving a speech at the Tomb of the Unknowns this morning. Once again he trots out his son's death. He was careful to qualify it by stating that Beau didn't die on the battlefield, though.

RCOCEAN II said...

BTW, Winsconsin had some of the best units in the civil war. Not just the Iron brigade. Unlike other states Winsconsin didn't keep forming new regiments, but put new recruits into the old ones. Sherman considered a Winsconsin regiment equal to 2 of any other state.

Aggie said...

Quiet remembrance and honoring of the dead, who made that ultimate sacrifice so that we may live the best life humankind has ever known. R.I.P. and Thank You.

Joe Smith said...

What a lovely spot...

Pointguard said...

All gave some, some gave all.

Kakistocracy said...

Dulce et Decorum Est ~ Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

(Latin phrase is from the Roman poet Horace: “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”)

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

God bless all of those who fought and died.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

I'm glad the sun is shining.

MadTownGuy said...

Ralph L said...

"Did they ever go through with obliterating the Confederate POW graves?"

Madison Mayor Orders Confederate Monuments Removed From Cemetery

Confederate Rest Marker removed (Historical Marker Database HMDB.org)

Jimmy said...

Simple gratitude for those who died so that we might have simple freedom.
why is this treated as neo nazi stuff by the left.
We stand on the shoulders of men and women who sacrificed for America. We set aside one day for that, and a fucking month for 'pride' of being gay.
Mrs Lees' rose garden has over 400,000 of the 1.4 million who paid the ultimate price.
Madison looks like a lovely spot, happy to see so many showing respect on this day.

Michael K said...

It's nice to see people realize the significance of the day. And show up.

mezzrow said...

Thanks to Meade for the pix and video. Dude on set is having himself a good time. Good band - sounds like a fun band to play with.

These folks understand rule 1 - if you want a band, you have to have a tent.

Well done. Honor our honored dead. Our thanks to them all.

Meade said...

https://youtu.be/4RNAwgN6h7g?si=L-oGnZJG3VURNx7u

Meade said...

Confederates’ Rest looks to be wellcared for. I stopped to salute the ladies who were picking up each and every stray stick and twig and was rewarded with big sweet smiles.

Meade said...

There are tons of fine and good and decent Americans in Madison, Wisconsin and everywhere. I salute you all.

Original Mike said...

Keep up the good work, Meade.

Meade said...

Thanks, Mike. You too my friend.

Drago said...

Meade: "Confederates’ Rest looks to be wellcared for. I stopped to salute the ladies who were picking up each and every stray stick and twig and was rewarded with big sweet smiles."

Nice.

Sally327 said...

This is from Herman Melville's poem "Shiloh: A Requiem":

The church so lone, the log-built one,
That echoed to many a parting groan
And natural prayer
Of dying foemen mingled there—
Foemen at morn, but friends at eve—
Fame or country least their care:
(What like a bullet can undeceive!)
But now they lie low,
While over them the swallows skim,
And all is hushed at Shiloh.


Wisconsin's Role

The 14th, 16th, and 18th Wisconsin Infantry regiments fought at the Battle of Shiloh.

The 16th Wisconsin Infantry was the first to discover the sneak attack. Lieutenant Colonel Cassius Fairchild was wounded at the outset. Colonel Benjamin Allen of Pepin, Wisconsin, had two horses shot from under him. Over the course of the battle, 265 soldiers from the 16th were killed.

The 18th Wisconsin Infantry had been out of camp only a week when the battle began. It lost 24 men, including Colonel James Alban who was fatally wounded by a bullet through the lungs. The 14th Wisconsin Infantry arrived the next morning with the reinforcements and took part in the second day's fighting. One lieutenant, who came through the battle unscathed, counted 12 bullet holes through his uniform.


Above is per the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Looks like a really pretty day there in Madison.

Narr said...

Very nice.

The first, peppy, march is "San Lorenzo," written by Argentine composer Cayetano Silva to commemorate a "Fort McHenry" moment in the Napoleonic Wars, when the Brits tried and failed to take Buenos Aires.

The second needs no introduction.

I'll be placing some flags this afternoon, starting at the grave of my father (1923-1962). His marker has his name and dates, and "1ST LT USAAF / DFC and 7OLC."




imTay said...

"why is this treated as neo nazi stuff by the left."

Because the first rule of propaganda is projection. Actually, the first rule is "First lie wins" and the projection stuff is just a corollary of it. It's just too much effort for the normies to displace a thought that's already been put in their head. It's kind of like a "Jedi mind trick," to make a noxious fact invisible to people, such as the Democrats are the real fascists. I think it's funny that the race that the mind tricks didn't work on had elephant style heads, the symbol of the Republican Party, but alas, that was too hopeful; their mind tricks work on almost everybody.

H said...

Judy Collins: The Hills of Shiloh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DvXjrNRi8

MadisonMan said...

Beautiful day today. I should walk up and visit the family plot, and see if the peonies are doing okay over Mom, and if the flag is there for Dad (it usually is)

Narayanan said...

Unlike other states Winsconsin didn't keep forming new regiments, but put new recruits into the old ones
=================
is it still legal to raise state level armies?
asking for historian of the soon-coming-future-civil-warII
let us play bingo = which state army will fight on which side of S-C-F-C-WII

Ralph L said...

Thanks for the links, MadTownGuy. So, only the two large memorials were put in storage. Interesting that there's so much unused lawn in front of the plot.

From a page I got to at wpr.org:
"Telzrow said two Wisconsinites who fought with the Union’s Iron Brigade, Frank W. Oakley and Hugh Louis, assisted in fundraising and participated in the cenotaph’s unveiling.

The monument, then, is an artifact of reconciliation — a period in the late nineteenth century when white residents from the north and south diminished slavery to romanticize the war and come together."

Yet another act of pettiness.

wildswan said...

Panel 37E, Row 65

Narr said...

Me so stupid. I knew I was leaving some things out.

[NAME]
TENNESSEE
1ST LT ARMY AIR FORCES
WORLD WAR II DFC-AM & 7 OLC
[DATES]

Respect to all who served, even the ignorant jerks.

charis said...

Our church has an interior courtyard with a lovely memorial garden. They leave the building open on Memorial Day so we can sit and enjoy the beautiful flowers and bubbling fountain. I went there today. A peaceful place.

Rusty said...

Thank you, Mead.

Kakistocracy said...

This Memorial Day, let’s remember the pundits. Especially the pundits who paid the ultimate price and survived the Mar-a-Lago Massacre. We should also remember the content creators, and the sacrifices they make in order to maximize engagement.

Josephbleau said...

From Wiki

“ The 24th Wisconsin was organized at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 15, 1862. The regiment's flag was provided by citizens of Madison, who had promised it to the first regiment to reach full recruitment.[1]
The regiment served under generals Grant and Sherman and was engaged in the battles Stone's River, Chickamauga, Franklin, Nashville, Missionary Ridge and Chattanooga.
The regiment was mustered out on June 10, 1865, at Nashville, Tennessee.
The regimental adjutant was Arthur MacArthur Jr. (later rose to Lieutenant General and father of General Douglas MacArthur). By the end of the war, MacArthur had risen to second in command of the regiment with the rank of colonel at the age of only 19. On September 5, 1912, Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur died while addressing his old unit. The original 24th Wisconsin Infantry United States flag was then draped over the former commanding officer and thus the tradition of burial flags was born. MacArthur also coined the Wisconsin state slogan when he cried "On Wisconsin" as he led his men up Missionary Ridge at the battle of Chattanooga, a feat for which he would later receive the Medal of Honor.
Another officer in the regiment was 1st Lieutenant John L. Mitchell. Mitchell later became a United States Senator and was the father of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell - an outspoken and controversial advocate of air power. By great coincidence, Arthur MacArthur's son Douglas was a juror for the court martial of John Mitchell's son Billy in 1925.”

It’s funny how history has so many odd connections,

Drago said...

LLR-democratcal Rich: "This Memorial Day, let’s remember the pundits. Especially the pundits who paid the ultimate price and survived the Mar-a-Lago Massacre."

The voice of a thousand hoaxes including Russia Russia Russia and Democracy Dies in Darkness and the fake "insurrection" checks in.

Discuss.

Narr said...

General Douglas MacArthur: another second son who outshone his brother.

imTay said...

Rich is a big supporter of Memorial Day, he supports Joe Biden, who has plans to freshen up the supply of dead veterans in our cemeteries, to make the holiday more contemporary in focus. It's true patriotism.

Sheridan said...

Rich - it's time to grow-up my friend. Spew your political nonsense on another day. Memorial Day is reserved for heroes who served and gave their all so that people like you (and the larger group of normal folks) could continue benefitting from the blessings of our Constitutional Republic. This is a day only for remembrance not for scoring political gotcha points.

lonejustice said...

Do people in Madison actually stand and sit in lawn chairs over the graves of veterans? When I was a kid I mowed some cemeteries, so you had to cross over them to mow the grass. But otherwise you always walked around them, not over them, out of respect for the dead. Have things changed so much since I was a kid?

Jimmy said...

Thanks Meade, for the photos, and the comments. Josephbleau- enjoyed your post a great deal, I never knew the history, or was aware of those connections. Fascinating stuff.
Madison is obviously a very beautiful town. Thanks to both Ann and Meade for posting such nice photos.
hope everyone had/is having a great day. Nice to get together with other folks, eat and have a good time- its nice that so many gathered to show respect as well.

mindnumbrobot said...

Wow! The band sounds great. I mean, really good. Thanks for the video. It warms the heart on this somber day.

Heartless Aztec said...

Thanks to the folks of Madison for cleaning up the graves of Confederate dead. If you're ever in Selma, Alabama look find thr best grave yard of the Confederate dead sponsored by the Mother's and Daughter of the Confederacy. Also in Columbia, South Carolina there is an awe inspiring Confederate cemetery within Evergreen Cemetery where my paternal Confederate ancestors are buried. Here in Jacksonville, Fl they have razed, removed and relocated all the columns and statues of the Confederacy to hidden out of the way spots difficult to find and to visit. All my maternal Confederate ancestors names on on those now hidden columns.
Hats off to all the brave veterans who gave their life for an American country.

Mark said...

Forest Hill is such a lovely place. Happy to see this there, as I always found that Confederate graveyard and the story of the woman who kept it up for years to speak well of us locals.

Achilles said...

Rich said...

This Memorial Day, let’s remember the pundits. Especially the pundits who paid the ultimate price and survived the Mar-a-Lago Massacre. We should also remember the content creators, and the sacrifices they make in order to maximize engagement.

Today is a day when I remember friends. It is a little different after you stand in boot and hat for someone you just spotted in the gym 12 hours ago.

They died so that pieces of shit like you could try to censor us, take our guns, and throw our political leaders in jail over a crime you can't even define.

You have no idea what you are messing with right now.

gadfly said...

NBA superstar Bill Walton has died at 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He played for the Trailblazers and Celtics on championship teams but most famously he followed Kareem Alijawan playing for Coach John Wooden at UCLA.

gadfly said...

No one remembers Hugh Thompson, Jr., Glenn Andreotta, and Lawrence Colburn anymore. They were three members of the US Army, who received the Soldiers Medal on March 6, 1998, for their actions 30 years earlier as they flew a mission on March 16, 1968.

Thompson commanded an observation helicopter at the time, locating enemy firing positions and then directing US forces in response. As their helicopter came over the village of My Lai, they observed no enemy fire but were shocked to see US military forces killing obvious Vietnamese civilians. At one point, Thompson maneuvered his helicopter between civilians and US forces on the ground, to protect the Vietnamese civilians, and he ordered Colburn, his door gunner, to open fire on the US forces if they tried to prevent him from protecting the civilians. Colburn, without hesitation, concurred. Andreotta, the crew chief, was shocked to see the atrocities committed by US forces and helped locate other civilians who had been shot and needed medical care. As Thompson described it:

"Glenn Andreotta—if there was a hero, I don’t like that word, but if there was a hero at My Lai — it was Glenn Andreotta, because he saw movement in that ditch, and he fixed in on this one little kid, and went down into that ditch. I would not want to go in that ditch. It’s not pretty. It was very bad. I can imagine what was going through his mind down there, because there was more than one still alive — people grabbing hold of his pants, wanting help. 'I can’t help you. You’re too bad off.' He found this one kid and brought the kid back up and handed it to Larry, and we laid him across Larry and my lap and took him out of there. I remember thinking Glenn Andreotta put himself where nobody in their right mind would want to be, and he was driven by something. I haven’t got the aircraft on the ground real stable. He bolted out of that aircraft into this ditch. Now he was a hero. Glenn Andreotta gave his life for his country about three weeks later. That’s the kind of guy he was, and he was a hero that day."

War is a horror that brings on inhuman hate, torture, and killing that the media describes every day without real discernable facts.

john mosby said...

Every drop drawn by the lash was repaid with one drawn by the sword.

The diversity grifters want us to forget that.

JSM

Mutaman said...

RCOCEAN II said...

"You need some boys in Grey. They fought for what they thought was right. Memorial day is about honoring all the soldiers of the Civil war - north and south."

You want us to honor traitors? Well that fits in with trump ready to pardon the 1/6 assholes.

The Nazis fought for what they thought was right. So did those fellows who bombed Pearl Harbor. you want to honor them too?

wendybar said...

Funny, you are on the side of today's Nazi's Mut. Wake up and look in the mirror.

BUMBLE BEE said...

A WWI Irish Ballad...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo2UfccViLk

The Green Fields of France,

Chuck said...

It’s a fine blog post. Beautiful video by Meade. A few nice comments on the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Then of course there was, virtually alone in mainstream American society, Trump’s rambling, vicious, self-absorbed TruthSocial screed. Reminding us, inevitably, of his “losers and suckers” line confirmed by General Kelly, as well as the time Trump’s Tweeting made him late to wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Aggie said...

Memorial Day - A day to honor the dead with the respect and humble gratitude they have earned, and paid for with their life - and yet here we have, on display, a derangement so deeply rooted, so saturating, that some cannot even bring themselves to understand the gifts that have been bestowed by an enormous, lucky birthright, and repay it accordingly. Rather, the atmosphere of quiet honor is seen as a ripe green field, unsullied by traffic and ready for plunder, defenseless against their invective. Shame is too good a word to use, to describe it.

Rusty said...

The West Side cemetery in Batavia Illinois was one of the first integrated cemeterys in the country where negro soldiers were buried alongside white soldiers. At the time the cemetery could be seen from the sanitarium where Mary Todd Lincoln was committed.