August 25, 2014

Fog in the Wheatfield
 

 
Two weeks ago I had an opportunity to see the battlefield in all its glory . . . and there’s something very special about visiting the field in the fog. This thin shroud was most noticeable at the Wheatfield, so of course, out came the camera. In the first photo you can see the top of the 61^ST New York Infantry monument poking up through the mist (just above the informational marker). In the second photo it’s the monument to Winslow’s Battery (Battery D, 1^ST New York Artillery) that’s just barely visible (center, just slightly to the right).

**HONORED TODAY**

MAJ. ALEXANDER MILLER

21^ST North Carolina Infantry

Born May 19, 1833/1839 --- Died August 02/03, 1863 at age 30

Maj. Miller hadn’t yet celebrated his 30^TH birthday (some say 24^TH) when his brother John died at Chancellorsville in May 1863. “Alex”, as he was known, would lose his own life just two months later. The end came at Cemetery Hill as he attempted to lift up the regimental flag. Maj. Miller was first buried near Rock Creek (between the Schwartz and Bushman properties) and was re-interred either at Salem Cemetery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, or at Richmond, Virginia’s Hollywood Cemetery. A photo can be found here.


(c) 2012-2014 Skies of Blue and Gray