Susquehanna Township near Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Moment of Mercy
By Sculptor Terry Jones
The Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December of 1862, was one of the bloodier engagements of the American Civil War. On December 13th, Federal troops made repeated assaults against Confederate positions behind the stone walls along the Sunken Road at Marye’s Heights. In five hours an estimated 6,300 Union soldiers lay dead or wounded on the battlefield. As darkness approached, a light snow fell and the temperatures dropped to near zero. All through the frigid gloom, injured men cried in agony” “Help,” “Water,” “Somebody, please help.” For one Union Commander that night was forever etched in his memory. “My ears were filled with the cries and groans of the wounded, and the ghastly faces of the dead almost made a wall around me.”
By the afternoon of December 14th, Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry could no longer bear those mournful cries. Shortly after mid-day, Kirkland secured permission from his commander to take water to those in need. Filling as many canteens as he could carry, Kirkland hurtled the stone wall and ran to the aid of wounded Union soldiers. Shots rang out from the Federal lines. Only when the purpose of the Confederate’s errand became readily apparent, did the Union commander shout down the line: “Don’t shoot that man, he’s too brave to die.” Then, for ninety minutes the battlefield was quiet.
Both sides observed a solemn truce as the nineteen-year-old sergeant turned Good Samaritan tenderly ministered to enemy wounded soldiers in what was most assuredly a “moment of mercy.”
Soldiers in blue and soldiers in gray repeated this incident many times throughout the Civil War. This Moment of Mercy sculpture pays homage to them and the uniquely American spirit of aiding those in need.
Sponsored by The John Crain Kunkel Foundation.
2001
Erected 2001 by The National Civil War Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1862.
Location. 40° 16.315′ N, 76° 51.36′ W. Marker is near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Susquehanna Township. Marker can be reached from Lincoln Circle. Marker is in Reservoir Park, in front of the National Civil War Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Lincoln Cir, Harrisburg PA 17103, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bishop McDevitt High School (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mansion at Reservoir Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Reservoir Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Explore the Capital Area Greenbelt (approx. ¼ mile away); Harrisburg (approx. ¼ mile away); Bellevue Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Breeze Hill (approx. 0.3 miles away); Harrisburg High School and Former John Harris High School (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisburg.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The Kirkland Monument, in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Also see . . .
1. The National Civil War Museum. Website homepage (Submitted on April 22, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. Richard Rowland Kirkland. Find A Grave website entry (Submitted on November 21, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 3,097 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 22, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3. submitted on October 11, 2015, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 4, 5. submitted on April 22, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.