BITTER SWEET MEMORIAL MESSAGE
MY Great grandfather Joseph W. Litchfield was 16 years old when the Civil War started. He was born in Georgia in 1844, but the family moved to Texas when he was but a boy where he enlisted to fight for the Confederacy in 1860. Great Grandpa was 1/4 Cherokee Indian and had a "half-breed" Cherokee woman, Sarah Elder, whom he loved and married about the same time he enlisted. (The picture above is of Joseph showing off his new false teeth at the age of 80.)
Apparently Great Grandpa was a "good hand" with horses and was a "fearless rider" so was recruited to be a messenger between commanding officers on the battle field and between units and armies during the war. The story goes that Great Grandma Sarah went to war with her new husband and somehow managed to ride with him when he traveled between armies in the field. She, apparently, was as bold and fearless as he was, maybe more so. I've got an old picture hidden somewhere in a box of Joseph leading a horse upon which my father, Joseph (named after grandpa), was being led as a young lad of 3 or 4 years of age.
Recently my heart has been turned to my forebears, to genealogy. It has been a fascinating experience to try and connect with and reconstruct the lives and times of my ancestors. My favorite ancestor on my mothers side, several great grandfathers ago, was Charles Calvert, a direct descendent of the Lords Baltimore who founded the colony of Maryland back in the early 1600's. Why do I like him? He told his pompous father, who was the last Lord Baltimore, and deeply committed to the King at the time of the Revolutionary War, to shove it up his noble arse as he, Charles, joined the revolutionary troops and fought against the King. He, Charles, later became friends with Daniel Boone, of all people, and ended up having conjoining farms in Missouri in their old age.
And there were many other rebellious and rambunctious ancestors of mine whose blood still runs hot in me. So it's no wonder I despise and even hate the modern tide of paternal governments, corrupt international bankers and their ilk, the Elite, who push for wars in foreign lands and use the common man as pawns, as expendable tools, in their lust for power and money.
It is sobering to see the short notations beside ancestors names similar to this: William Hardt, died April 8, 1944 in Europe, WWII. There were so many of them, in so many wars. Not just the soldiers but the civilians too, who perished from war. And then there are the Cherokee, from whom I am descended, who were decimated by disease, terrible abuse, and war against the invading white man.
On this Memorial Day, I honor them all, the fallen, the forgotten.
For some it is given to remember. I am one of those, and wrote this poem a few years ago about the fallen.
TEARS
I was born with tears in my eyes,
I was born in sorrow.
God has made me hold the hearts
Of the fallen in my hands,
And I taste their weeping.
TODAY let us remember those who have perished in war. The verse below comes from the Confederate Soldiers Memorial in the Arlington Cemetery where 482 Confederate officers, enlisted men, wives and unknowns are buried.
Not for fame or reward
Not for place or rank
Not lured by ambition
Or goaded by necessity,
But in simple
Obedience to duty,
As they understood it,
These men suffered all
Sacrificed all
Dared all - and died.
My prayer is that one day we will live in peace. So be it. Many blessings,
Mistermercury
The injustices done to the country's ancestors is something that should never be forgotten, and your post is a beautiful way to honor them.
On a lighter note, the photo of great-grandfather showing off his teeth is awesome :)
Me too.
Many blessings. Hope you are all doing good.
Thank you so much @mistermercury ! We are hanging in there :)
This is a beautiful tribute and memorial to those that have gone before. Thank you for posting this and sharing some of your history. It would have been fun to meet your great-grandfather ... and great-grandmother. They sound like people of integrity and virtue.
Well, from what I gather, they were very lively and true Texans...would have no problem looking you in the eye and telling you to go to hell, if that needed saying.
This is very sweet. I understand how easy it is to get immersed in the research. My favorite ancestor is my great grandfather who came to the US knowing almost no one, with very little money, speaking no English, and being illiterate in all languages. So much inspiration can be drawn from their stories.
Greetings @ginnyannette, in the modern world of the West we cannot tolerate such hardship, and social and economic injustice. However, we must admit that the injustices our ancestors experienced and dealt with was greater, and from those trying circumstances they lifted themselves up and became better. That is rather a simplistic observation but essentially it is true. Many blessings, hope to see you again.
You touched me with such beautiful eloquence in this memorial to your ancestors.
I was moved by your short poem on the fallen.
Much respect
Good to see you here @maverickinvictus. I do appreciate your kind comment. May you be at peace.
Good to see you here @maverickinvictus. I do appreciate your kind comment. May you be at peace.
Curated for #informationwar (by @openparadigm)
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Relevance: Memorial Day
Our Purpose
They are not forgotten because you remember and pass their history on to the new generations. Many people have sacrificed their lives so that ours may be better. May they rest in peace.
Thanks for your kind comment. Indeed, it is our duty to pass the histories down to the next generations. Many blessings. may you be at peace.
Thank you, @mistermercury!