The final resting place of Civil War General AP Hill was much more than that, as his remains were buried, exhumed and moved three times in the 19th century.
Then, when the city of Richmond decided to decommission the Confederate memorial amid the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, the general’s remains were moved again. A statue of Hill with his bones on a pedestal has been removed from the intersection of Labnum Avenue and Hermitage Road.
Patrick Falch, a New York actor and historian who has played Hill for 30 years, said neither the initial burial nor the subsequent re-housing service involved military honors.
Those who gathered at the cemetery in Hill’s hometown of Culpeper made up for it all on Saturday in a long-running ceremony.
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An estimated 600 people, including Confederate performers in gray and butternut uniforms, gathered to pay tribute to the general in the hope that it would be his final resting place at Fairview Cemetery. .
While hundreds of soldiers stood at attention, a mule-drawn wagon carried a coffin covered in an old Virginia state flag to the cemetery. Next came the riderless horse, with a drummer providing a steady beat.
After falsi eulogies, songs and prayers, Longstreet’s corps loaded their muskets and performed a 21-gun salute, while Nibbs Battery’s corps fired three rounds from a polished cannon named “Jeb”. fired.
The VA Scots Guard played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes. Susan and Scott Callaway played mandolin and acoustic guitar, leading the crowd with “Carry Me Back to Old Virginie.” And a lone bugler played “Tap”.
“Gene. Hill is known as Lee’s Forgotten General,” said Falch in the play, picking up a microphone and walking among the graveyards. No, not here in Virginia.”
After a legal battle, Confederate General Ambrose Powell Hill’s skeleton was removed from the statue in mid-December and collected by morticians at Bennett Funeral Home in Richmond. Funeral officials eventually contacted Keith Price, a former member of the Culpeper City Council, about moving Hill’s remains to Fairview.
The cemetery is owned by the same town Hill was born and raised in.
“He would have known about this cemetery,” Price said, adding that it was officially established in the 1850s. ”
Price is proud of the way the town supported the service, saying officials “could have refused to do anything to facilitate some of it.” officials ensured that the muddy roads within the cemetery were passable, while eight town police officers and seven Virginia police officers directed traffic and policing.
Mayor Frank Reeves Jr. said the town was prepared for trouble, but didn’t see any initial trouble.
“This is a nice, quiet town and we want to keep it,” he said.
The result is a ceremony that hearkens to another era, with the exception of a few modern touches, such as a guitar hooked up to a PA system, drones flying overhead, and a turquoise-haired woman leading a mule carriage. was held.
Crowds of women wore full-length black dresses and veils, an outfit called “widow’s weed” because of the way the material wrinkled over time, and occasionally men wore stovepipe hats. rice field.
Members of the crowd wore hoodies, jackets, and scarves, some with images of the Confederate flag. cried other versions of the cry of the person.
Dave Singleton, a member of Richmond’s Nibbs Battery, said he heard about the burial online – and word of mouth about the event spread to other reenactment groups and motorcyclists who also showed up en masse.
He said “people don’t like the fact that our monument and the people buried under it are being moved,” but said Saturday’s attendees were there to honor Hill. .
“They fought for what they believed in. We want to celebrate their history. Whether you agree with it or not. That man needs to be buried.” , must be buried in peace.”
Lexington’s Angel McCreary agreed, stating that “the man who was uprooted many times” needed honor.
Leonard Coward, who lives outside the town of Culpeper, was one of about 15 Hill descendants who attended the event. He said the ceremony was “wonderful” and he especially liked Hill, who was called “Powell,” coming back to his hometown.
“That’s one of the best things about it,” says Cowherd.
Farsi described Hill as knightly and chivalrous, a daring leader who fights while wearing a red cloak and red belt so that his subordinates can see him. I grew up reading stories from and wanted to imitate them in combat.
Hill also had a keen sense of timing, Farsi said.
“He always arrived on the battlefield and saved the day,” says Falch. His business card reads “Actor/Acting Historian”, the same initials as AP Hill.
Cowherd shared a slightly different perspective.
“I think Powell Hill was a snob,” Cowherd said. “I think he was a landlord in Virginia and looked down on people.”
Cowherd agreed with Falci that Hill was finally his place. Falch concluded his tribute by saying: AP Hill has returned home and is currently resting. ”
And the cries of the rebels echoed through the crowd.
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
cdyson@freelancestar.com
