Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
36th Wisconsin
Inscription.
(Front):
by one of their comrades
Charles A. Storke
in memory of the members of
Companies B, E, F and G of the
Thirty Sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
who here fought on the first day of June 1864.
(East Face):
(Listing of Names by Company)
(North Face):
(Listing of Names by Company)
(West Face):
(Listing of Names by Company)
Erected 1924 by Charles Albert Storke.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1864.
Location. 37° 38.256′ N, 77° 19.596′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. Marker is on Pole Green Road, 0.2 miles east of Rural Point Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mechanicsville VA 23111, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Reading Room (approx. half a mile away); Polegreen Church (approx. half a mile away); The Polegreen Story (approx. 0.6 miles away); Welcome to Historic Polegreen Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of Polegreen (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Polegreen Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Polegreen Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Battle of Totopotomoy Creek (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.
More about this marker. The names of 137 infantrymen captured, wounded or killed that day are inscribed on the marker.
Regarding 36th Wisconsin. Sixteen year old Storke had joined the regiment just 4 months earlier. On June 1, 1864 he was among the 240 men from the 36th who mounted a late afternoon charge against the Confederate line near Hundley's Corner. Fewer than one-half returned. Storke was among those captured and was sent to Andersonville prison.
After the war, Storke graduated from Cornell University, moved west and founded the Los Angeles Daily Herald newspaper. In later years he visited the Virginia battlefields several times. He purchased a small plot and built this monument. As he told the Richmond newspaper in 1924, "It is done simply in the spirit of love for my comrades who died and not in any spirit of bitterness."
Also see . . . Charles A. Storke (Wikipedia). (Submitted on February 6, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 6, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,054 times since then and 84 times this year. Last updated on September 9, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 6, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.