Noble Ladies of Spotsylvania

Noble Ladies of Spotsylvania. . The War of the Rebellion came to a close in April 1865. A war-weary Spotsylvania County turned its attention to restoring homes, farms and life. It was a difficult undertaking. The County had seen four major battles and hundreds of skirmishes for almost three years. The County was littered with destroyed homes, abandoned farms and the debris of war. Among the debris were thousands of graves and skeletons of the fallen. Singularly and in groups, the fallen covered the land., The U.S. Government started to take steps to inter their dead by creating cemeteries in the Fredericksburg area. The question of what to do with thousands of Confederate dead fell to the local citizens. The rally call "Every mother's son must be gathered from fence-rows, gardens, yards, from where ever they may be and given a proper burial in a special place. They must rest in peace!” Citizens of the county could not concentrate on rebuilding their lives until their God-given duty to suitably care for their Confederate casualties was fulfilled. Then and only then, could they be ready for the new era rapidly approaching on the horizon., The Ladies Memorial Association, with Ann Boulware as President, was formed in 1866 with the primary objective of gathering the remains of dead solders and reinterring them in one place. Fifteen acres of prime land was offered by Joseph Sanford, just east of the Spotsylvania Court House. Court records reveal in 1869, ten acres were returned to Sanford when it became apparent they needed no more than five acres for the Confederate Cemetery. Finally, with their mission accomplished, Spotsylvanians could now restore their lives and property., (captions) , Ann Boulware, President of The Ladies Memorial Association of Spotsylvania County. , Dr. Caleb Massey compiled this first complete Confederate Cemetery Ledger listing soldiers who are buried on this consecrated portion of land. , Dr. Caleb Rosser Massey, was Chairman of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, Courtland District, 1904-1907.