by Marc Ramsey On Saturday, January 21, 202 a very special thing happened in Culpeper, Va. At long last, Confederate General Ambrose Powell Hill was brought home and laid to rest in historic Fairview Cemetery, established in the 1850’s, and we in the 15th Virginia had the honor of being part of the Honor Guard Battalion, several hundr veteran reenactors strong, Col Bill Russell, Longstreet’s Cor commanding. Gen. Hill had always wanted to be buried in 16 – American Battlefield Tru 34 – Book Reviews 14 – Central Virginia Battlef
his home town of Culpeper, but took one hundred and fifty-eig years and three prior intermen for his wishes to be realized. was the fourth and last time t General would be buried, and the first funeral for him with military honors. Why had it ta so long? Born November 9, 1825, “Powell” Hill grew up in Culpeper. On April 26, 1842, H accepted an appointment to the United states Military Academy at West Point. Among many future Civil War generals was 20 – Civil War Cent 28 – Critic’s Corne rust 30 – Emerging Civil
roommate, George B. McClellan, then 15 years old. June 19,1847, Hill graduated fifteenth in the class. Assigned to the artillery, alo
with other new graduates who included John Gibbons, his orders assigned him to the First US Artillery, replacing 1st Lt. Thomas J. Jackson, class of 1846. Even though the war was winding down, Hill saw limited action. Like other Virginia officers, Hill sided with his state and the Confederacy. As the Civil War went on, Hill rose through hierarchy of the Army of Northern Virginia. At Petersburg, he was commanding the Third Corps, a shadow of the unit he had led earlier. When the Confederate lines were stretched too far and broke at Five Forks, Hill scrambled to get some sort of control over the deteriorating situation. On April 2, Hill was trying to reach Heth’s Division along the Boydton Plank road when he and his courier, Sgt. George Tucker, encountered two Union soldiers of the 138th Pennsylvania, Corporal John Mauck and Private Daniel Wolford. Hill was shot in the heart and died instantly. After being killed Petersburg, Hill’s body was taken to Richmond, then placed in a
Description: On the Hermitage roa the City. Unveiled May 30th, 1891 last Confederate General killed i wounded in front of Petersburg, V In commemoration of his heroic ch services to the ‘Lost Cause,’ thi statue was erected by his admirer arms. hotography 39 – Events 26 – The Gra 23 – The Sou
case to receive the coffin. We buried the body about 2 P.M., April 4, 1865, in the old Wins burying-ground near Bellgrade [sic] plantation.” wrote cousi G. Powell Hill – (SHSP 31 (1891):183-186). Two years lat Hill was exhumed and reburied without honors at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. As monuments began to appear throughout Richmond and the rest of the South duri the next several decades, Hill former soldiers wanted to raise one for their general. T Pegram Battalion Association led the fundraising efforts. Unable to raise enough money through traditional efforts, t group appealed to prominent tobacconist and Confederate veteran Lewis Ginter, who had served under Hill during the w Eventually they decided to ere the monument near Ginter’s home outside Richmond and
H Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . see pa s And That Unfinished Fight ough the Lens
