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Confederate Memorial Day observed by locals

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Contributed by: Linda Mustion on 4/30/2007

The late afternoon sun was slowly setting as members of United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans, their family, friends and the general public gathered at the Confederate Plot in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for Confederate Memorial Day this past Saturday, April 28. The Confederate Plot was purchased by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1925 and includes about 63 grave sites.

There were ladies in period clothing and men in Confederate uniforms. Confederate Battle Flags were put on the graves of the veterans that are buried in the plot and First National Flags were put on the graves of the UDC members buried in the plot. While helping to put the flags on the graves, I had the pleasure of meeting a soon-to-be UDC member Ruth Sligh, who had come all the way from Fresno to be here as she had just learned that her Great Grandfather James E. Sligh, a Confederate veteran was buried in the Confederate Plot.

The program started with Mrs. Elaine Hirtle, Nathan B. Forrest, 2054 Los Angeles and Memorial Day Chairman giving the opening remarks and thanking everyone for coming.

The posting of colors by the SCV, pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States and a salute to the Confederate Flag was given, followed by a presentation of a Confederate flag-draped wooden coffin provided by the Richmond Howitzers. A memorial to women of the Confederacy was given by Mrs. Connie W. Moretti, General Joe Wheeler 1357, Long Beach, a memorial to children of the Confederacy was given by Mrs. Norma Garbert, Nathan B. Forrest 2054, Los Angeles, a memorial to veterans of all wars was given by Mrs. Kathy Spit, Sidney Lanier 2141, Altadena, and a memorial was given to Confederate veterans by a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans. We then all stood and held hands and sang " Dixie ". We then sat down for the Roll Call of the States.

Each State is called as it seceded from the Union, for example South Carolina was the first to secede, so if you have any Confederate ancestors that served from South Carolina, you would go up to the flag draped coffin and give your Confederate ancestors name, rank, and unit and place a flower on top of the coffin in his memory.

After all the states were called, then Mrs. Kathy Spit and Gayle Plunkett, both of the Sidney Lanier 2141, Altadena read the names and placed a flower for each Confederate Veteran and UDC member buried in the Confederate Plot and elsewhere in the cemetery.

A benediction and the retiring of colors were held. Everyone was then invited to decorate the graves with all the flowers.

While decorating the graves, I was able to talk to Ruth Sligh and find out a little more about her great-grandfather. His full name was James Ellison Sligh and was born in July, 1840 in Claiborne Parish, LA, and died July 17, 1923 in Long Beach. He was the son of George Benedict Sligh and Emily Bell Canfield.

James Ellison Sligh entered the Confederate army before he was 20 years old, giving active service during the entire four years. While serving with the 28th Regiment, Gray's Louisiana Infantry, Company B, where he was a 2nd Lt. After the war in January 1865, James Sligh married Mary Levenia Louise Butler and three children were born to them.

They left Louisiana in 1870 and moved to east Texas where he was a reverend and in 1877 moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, where his wife died March 30, 1890 and is buried in Cedarvale Cemetery, White Oaks, New Mexico. James Sligh left New Mexico and ended up in the state of Washington where he married his second wife Victorlina J. Hutte in 1892 and had several more children. Ruth Sligh is a great-granddaughter from his second marriage.

James Sligh and his second wife moved to California and settled in Long Beach, where they resided until their deaths. The United Daughters of the Confederacy General Joe Wheeler 1357, Long Beach tenderly took care of him and was lovingly laid to rest by them in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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Submitted By: Lisa Burks

posted on 5/3/2007 @ 11:01:11 AM

Rated Story

Welcome to Valley News, Linda! Excellent story, I had no idea a Confederate Memorial Day existed, how wonderful. Looking forward to reading more stories from you, keep up the great work. :)

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Linda Mustion

Burbank , CA

Linda Mustion has posted 14 stories and 10 comments since joining on 4/7/2007. Linda Mustion 's average story rating is 4.96.

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