by Lisa Schauer
“To speak of the dead is to bring them back to life,” said historian Steve French, quoting the great Egyptian king Ramses II.
French was the featured speaker at a commemoration held on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11 at Greenway Cemetery.
He recounted the life of Brevet General Simon F. Barstow, a Civil War veteran buried in the cemetery.
Considered an “administrative genius,” Barstow was not a line officer. Although his title was ceremonious, and he was in practice a captain in the volunteer Union army, he risked his life, especially at the Battle of Petersburg, explained French.
Noting that Barstow has heretofore been relegated to two lines in a few Civil War history books, French said “he would have no idea he’d have a crowd here over a hundred years later.”
Around 50 people braved cold, gusty winds for the commemoration, which was produced by Morgan County Historic and Genealogical Society, and the Town of Bath.
Dr. Daniel Murphy, a local historian and former mayor of Hancock, performed his duties as master of ceremonies with grace and humor.
“This is a tough crowd,” Murphy said in weather with a “feels like” temperature of 19 degrees in the sun on hilly terrain.
Terry Heder from Civil War Trails, along with Town of Bath Mayor Greg Schene and Morgan County Commissioner Joel Tuttle, quickly unveiled a new sign commemorating Barstow.
Reenactor Bob O’Connor was in character throughout, as D.C. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon, Abraham Lincoln’s close friend and personal bodyguard.
Josh Hetrick picked a couple of Civil War era tunes on his guitar between speeches.
Teresa DeSouza, Terry Golden, and David O’Connell gave tours of the cemetery.
Self-guided tour books of Greenway Cemetery were made available with a suggested donation to the historical society.
Volunteers from Girl Scout Troop 40764 helped with parking cars for attendees in the cemetery area.
As the program wound down, people raced back to their vehicles, more enlightened by Civil War history lying beneath their feet.
