Being Memorial Day weekend, I decided to get out and do something I have wanted to do for quite some time. I’ve lived in Chicago for 28 years and never gotten to Rosehill Cemetery.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Rosehill-Chicago-maingate.jpgRosehill opened in 1859, just in time for the Civil War and sadly lots of new inventory. There are numerous Civil War veterans buried there along with a veritable who’s who of Chicago business and political history such as Florsheim, Montgomery Ward, Shedd (of the Aquarium), Schwinn, a US Vice President, Illinois Governors, and Chicago Mayors. I saw most of their graves, but really came for the Civil War related ones and I was pleasantly surprised with how much there was to see.
First stop was the “Rock of Chickamauga” monument. I had always thought General George Thomas was buried here, but he is buried in Troy, NY. This is a monument as the largest GAR Post (#5) here was named for him.
You pretty much know you’ve got a special deal when you can have a monument that sums someone up so simply. The stone for this monument is from Chickamauga where Major General Thomas earned his nickname.
As an aside, I recall being at a friend’s father’s interment at Arlington National Cemetery and seeing Admiral Peary’s headstone nearby. This is in the same class of obvious distinction with a simple bronze star on a granite globe where the North Pole is:
http://matthewhenson.com/pearygrave1.jpgAlso, elsewhere in Illinois is Rodman’s grave which has a pretty effective monument too:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7301/12724108244_14a9c24a28_z.jpgBack on topic at Rosehill, the cemetery was decked out for a Memorial Day event around the Civil War graves.
The staff at the administrative office was busy (the cemetery is still in active use) when we arrived so we had been on our own, and accidentally found this memorial “Equality” from Bridge’s Battery surrounded by 10 captured cannons:
12pdr Bronze Napoleon from Columbus, GA Arsenal:
There are seven bronze Napoleons and 3 iron guns that look to be Parrotts.
Next to this is the “Our Heroes” Soldiers and Sailors monument by Leonard Volk:
Its right opposite the Illinois Light Artillery Battery A :Chicago Light Artillery” monument:
And the Illinois Light Artillery Battery B “Taylor’s Battery” monument:
Behind this is another monument:
…for a battery Pete George always talks about, the Board of Trade Battery raised by the Chicago Board of Trade (1862-65)
With some profound testimony to these soldier’s efforts:
I then walked a few yards to the grave of Major General Thomas Ransom, Commander of the 11th Illinois Infantry.
There are several other General officers buried here, but at this point a very nice fellow from the administration building came up to me and asked “what I had learned today?” I told him I had learned that General Thomas was not buried here and we began talking. He was from Kennesaw, Georgia and interested in the Civil War too. He handed me this map:
Which would’ve been nice to have 45 minutes earlier, but was still handy to have. He also helped us find some more interesting non Civil War spots to see, such as the mausoleum which houses 43,000+ departed including the aforementioned Shedds, Florsheims, Montgomery Wards, etc. and is unbelievably nice and beautiful (no pictures allowed inside) as well as some other noted sites like the Volunteer Firefighters’ Monument.
…which instead of having a chain around it is roped off with a firehose draped across the posts.
It was a gorgeous day here and I felt a twinge of the spirit of Memorial Day in such an awesome place. My commuter train goes by it, and yet I never found the time to check it out and I am very happy I did.
