Hope everyone is having a pleasant Memorial Day and has spent a little time in thought about why we set aside this day. President Obama decided to spend Memorial Day at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois. In the spirit of acknowledging sacred sites beyond Arlington National Cemetery here is a news article and video about the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in California. Both the article and video feature UCLA historian, Joan Waugh, whose book on Grant and historical memory is a must read. Enjoy.
California’s Civil War
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Thanks for posting this, Kevin. I was born and raised in So Cal and I did not realize there were so many CW veterans buried in LA. Certainly makes sense though. One of my gggrandfather’s brothers was in the 100th Indiana throughout the war, and afterwards moved west. He now rests in a cemetery in Lane County, Oregon. When I visited Appomattox several years ago there was a young man doing a living history program as a Union Sgt. just a couple weeks after the surrender. When we mentioned we were from California, he said “Oh, we have some of those California boys in our units!.”
Joan Waugh is scheduled to be our featured speaker at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site for John Y. Simon Day in October. It is an annual event that was started last year to honor Simon. John Marsalek and Frank Williams spoke last year. I’m looking forward to meeting Joan. Her book is excellent, though there are a couple of things I hope I get a chance to discuss with her.
Hi Bob,
Glad you enjoyed it.