I started at Calvary Cemetery which is located in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. It was late afternoon so I did not have much time there, but I was able to visit the graves of Major General Francis J. Herron and Brigadier General Michael Corcoran. Herron spent much of the early Civil War in the Western Theater and commanded two divisions as they marched to support General James G. Blunt in northwest Arkansas in December 1862. His epic march is not widely known, but resulted in a stunning victory at the Battle of Prairie Grove. Michael Corcoran is best known for commanding the “Fighting 69th” New York Militia which would later become the backbone of the famed Irish Brigade. His original monument has been replaced with a modern one. The last stop I made this day was the grave of Robert Nugent. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery and the picture of his tombstone was taken in near darkness. Nugent, along with Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher, was instrumental in forming the Irish Brigade during the winter and spring months of 1862.

I had some time on the second day of my trip to visit historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. This is an amazing cemetery and the staff is very helpful. There were approximately 65 famous graves I wanted to visit here, but I was forced to prioritize my visit as time would not allow me to see each grave. I was able to give my regards to several prominent Civil War figures while I was there. A few of these are Henry W. Halleck, Thomas W. Sweeny, Abram Duryee and Fitz John Porter. To view a short photo essay of these graves, and others, click on the following link.

Mike’s Photo Essay on Civil War Era Graves of New York City

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One particular passage of the book caught my interest as it demonstrates the fighting elan of the field officers of the Confederate army.  CSA Colonel Joseph C. Pleasants commanded an Arkansas infantry regiment in CSA Brigadier General James F. Fagan’s Brigade of CSA Brigadier General Francis S. Shoup’s Division.  Assigned the unenviable task of holding the north face of the hill, that was Prairie Grove, Fagan’s Brigade was assaulted by two separate Federal thrusts – first by the 20th Wisconsin and 19th Iowa – and then later in the afternoon by 37th Illinois and 26th Indiana.  These attacks were brutal, with the fighting devolving to hand-to-hand combat.  Supporting the Federal assaults were very well executed artillery bombardments by a superior Federal artillery, with 20 pieces.  Fagan’s Brigade was posted on the high ground, south beyond the West Cornfield.  Pleasants’ Arkansas Infantry held the right flank of Fagan’s Brigade and received a direct attack by the 19th Iowa.  Described by Columbus H. Gray, of Pleasants infantry, the fighting was most severe in an orchard, “We were all laying down and the Federals came up in fifty steps of us when our colonel ordered us to rise and fire.”(i)

During the melee around the orchard, Colonel Joseph Pleasants became one of the many Confederate casualties.  Unable to describe the heroism better than Mr. Shea, the following text, from “Fields of Blood,” describes Pleasants’ actions leading his regiment.

“Among the dozens of Rebels who fell in the orchard was Colonel Pleasants.  A bullet broke his leg, but he stayed on his horse until the animal was shot out from under him.  In excruciating pain, the forty-seven year old Virginia native was dragged clear of his horse and propped up against a tree.  When Captain Henry C. Pleasants attempted to carry his father to the rear, the older man would have none of it.  He stated that “his place was with the regiment” and that “he would take care of himself.”  Others offered to move Pleasants to the opposite side of the tree so he would be protected from enemy fire.  “No,” he said, “my boys fight so well I must see them through the charge.”  When the fighting ended, Colonel Pleasants insisted that all the other wounded members of the regiment be removed before he allowed himself to be taken to the rear.  At the hospital he refused to let surgeons dress his wound until everyone else had been looked after.  Pleasants’ selfless behavior may have contributed to his death ten days later.”(ii)

CSA Colonel Joseph C. Pleasants was a brave leader that led his men from the front.  Even after his wounding, he refused to be removed from the field until all his wounded men had been taken care of.  While Congressional Medals of Honor were never awarded to Confederate soldiers, Pleasants’ gallantry at Prairie Grove would have been deserving of such recognition had he been fighting in a blue uniform.  Today we are one country - with fifty separate state flags – flying next to one national flag.  I am proud to say that Colonel Joseph Pleasants is a true American HERO, who fought bravely, and selflessly, for what he believed in.

(i) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by The University of North Carolina Press in 2009, Pg. 177.
(ii) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by The University of North Carolina Press in 2009, Pg. 178.