Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia

Friday, January 4, 2013

Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia

Hollywood Cemetery sits on a bluff upon the James River and is the final resting place for two US presidents, the president of the Confederate States of America, twenty-five Confederate generals, numerous Confederate soldiers, and many other famous Virginians. It was a very peaceful place to visit on a cold, overcast, winter's day, and is probably quite beautiful in the spring and fall.

Peace

This was on the back of a memorial stone. I think it pretty much sums it up!

Although the family name did not sound Irish, there were a couple of tombstones with these possibly "Irish" cutouts.

The James River in the background.

The tomb of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, along with his wife and daughter.

Jefferson Davis

The tomb of James Monroe, 5th President of the United States.

The tomb of John Tyler, 10th President of the United States.
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too"

Quite a few graves had statues of dogs next to them.

Another "good boy" waits with his master.

All dressed up and no where to go!

While the headstone is not to remarkable, the Confederate campaigns listed on it show that this man probably saw a lot of bloodshed - the Wilderness Campaign, the battle of Manassas, the battle of the Crater in Petersburg, and the surrender at Appamatox.

The large pyramid in the background was built in 1869 as a memorial to the more than 18,000 Confederate enlisted soldiers buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

Nandina berries add some color to the gray winter day.

Any graduates of Maury High School? Matthew Maury was the father of modern oceanography, and an important figure in the Confederate Secret Service. After the war he built the "New Virginia Colony" in Mexico, a place for Confederate soldiers and sympathizers to resettle.