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For the past three years, I have been involved in a project to preserve gravestones for more than 500 Civil War Veterans interred in historic St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.

As I kneel on the graves of long-deceased Union soldiers and work on cleaning and repairing their simple marble stones, I often wonder just how much they knew about the conflict for which they voluntarily risked (or gave) their lives.

Did they think fighting the Confederacy would be an adventure, or that the war would be over quickly? Was the call to arms answered by neo-Sons of Liberty who were overcome by the fervor of patriotism similar to their Revolutionary forefathers? Who voluntarily signs up to potentially die?

Most Civil War veterans resting in St. Agnes Cemetery were ordinary men of Irish and English descent. While a few can be traced to affluent families of the 19th century, the majority were farmers, rail workers, immigrant laborers and family men.

Among the privileged few were Frank J. Mattimore, who valiantly served at Antietam and Fredericksburg before succumbing to swamp fever and dying at age 29; and Brigadier General Ambrose Cassidy of the 93rd New York State Volunteer Infantry, who abandoned his comfortable life to serve his country until a debilitating injury cut short his service and eventually his life.

Disease took more lives in the Civil War than did military combat; yet, even as the death toll climbed, Union soldiers remained steadfast in their commitment.

New York State contributed the largest number of volunteer soldiers to the Union cause. The enormous response to the call to arms by Albanians and surrounding communities proves our citizens had a intense and spirited commitment to preserve the Union as "one nation under God."

Phillip Shaw Paludan, historian and author of "A People's Contest," describes Northerners as people uniquely connected to and involved with legal and political institutions in their communities which gave special meaning to their patriotism.

They were not blind sheep following a call to arms; they were men with personal experience in the making of law and order of their communities and, therefore, were more inclined to want to protect their communities from the potential anarchy and lawlessness that could result from a broken Union.

While many lessons in the history of the Civil War cite ending slavery as the main motivation behind what the South deems Northern aggression, deeper scholarly analysis points to a larger, more looming cause: the North's revolt against the dissolution of the Union.

I think about the men as individuals as I gently remove lichens, sod and dirt to reveal their names, regiments and dates of death. So many young men in our community gave their lives to preserve the American way of life; and, often, all we have in acknowledgment of their sacrifice is an aging, government-issued gravestone, slowly losing its battle against the elements of nature.

I am doing all I can to make sure our veterans' names never fade out of sight. Volunteer help is much needed and appreciated. As Veterans' Day approaches, visit St. Agnes Cemetery, stand at the grave of a soldier and mix his name with your heartfelt words of gratitude for his service and his sacrifice.

(Kelly Grimaldi is a graduate student of history at The University at Albany and historian for the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries. Contact St. Agnes Cemetery at 463-0134.)

(11/04/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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