All four brothers fought for the Confederacy in Virginia, serving in Company D, 28th Virginia Infantry; J.D. Smith's Company, Virginia Light Artillery; Company I, 34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, and Capt. Turner's Company, Virginia Light Artillery.
Two of the brothers have military tombstones: John Harmon and James Fletcher.
The iron crosses in front of the each tombstone are Daughter of the Confederacy grave markers. It is a symbol of the Southern Cross of Honor, which was a military decoration meant to honor the soldiers for their brave service in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederates States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Army's Medal of Honor.
wow, I haven't had the chance to see a black cross in front like that before. As they say we often learn something new every day.
ReplyDeleteSamuel Miller Stone's grave site linked below for your reference. Cheers.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=83719158
What does the symbol at the top of the stone mean?
ReplyDeleteShane j