SOUTHGATE, Ky. — Don Miller, an expert with over 30 years of fieldwork experience, is trying to solve a long-forgotten piece of Civil War history.
In Southgate's Evergreen Cemetery, four iron cannons stand guard over the resting spot of dozens of veterans from America’s bloodiest war. Questions surrounding these silent sentinels have intrigued Miller enough that he decided to make them his next project.
Evergreen Cemetery, established in the 1840s, is a place steeped in history.
Flanking the gazebo on the grounds of Evergreen is Shaler’s Battery, one of the best-preserved Civil War earthworks in Kentucky, Miller said.
Buried among the trees and hills of the 250-acre cemetery are many notable names including James Taylor Jr., the founder of Newport, Congressman Brent Spence and two Medal of Honor winners.
One of these distinguished veterans, William H. Horsfall, was just 14-years-old when he signed up as a drummer in the Union regiment, the 1st Kentucky Infantry during the Civil War. He received his Medal of Honor at 15 for risking his life to save a wounded officer during fighting at Corinth, Mississippi, according to a historical marker at the cemetery.
Miller got interested in the cannons while visiting Horsfall’s grave and historical marker.
“My interest in the cannons is their long-term care and interpretation as artifacts within their specific context at Evergreen Cemetery,” Miller said.
The cannons have no plaques or markers detailing their history, so Miller started from scratch.
After researching for several months, he has been able to pinpoint a few facts regarding the cannons.
Bringing the cannons to the cemetery was done as an action of legislation through a congressman and the Grand Army of the Republic, Bull Nelson Newport chapter, a Union Veterans organization.
The cannons, 24-pound cast iron flank howitzers, were installed in Evergreen in 1883, less than 20 years after the close of the Civil War.
According to Miller’s research, the cannons were cast at Mt. Vernon Iron Works, also known as Cooper Ironworks, in Ohio in 1864. The ironworks had secured a contract with the US government and manufactured 50 such pieces during the Civil War.
The cannons were proofed by Robert Henry Kirkwood Whiteley, who oversaw arsenals in Pennsylvania and Ohio, before heading off to their post of duty.
The cannons were specifically crafted for coastal defenses, which Miller said there were about 54 of in the U.S. from 1817-1867.
“The true purpose of these guns was flanking fire to prevent the enemy from digging ditches and scaling the walls,” he said.
Despite all his efforts, Miller says many unanswered questions remain.
“Where did the cannons go after they were cast? Were they fired in battle? Why were they chosen to be part of the memorial at Evergreen?” he asked.
He plans to keep on digging to get those answers. Miller also wants to see a preservation plan created for them, to protect them for future generations.
These four guns, along with the graves, markers and earthworks such as Shaler's can be used as important interpretive tools, Miller said.
“The larger project these cannons are part of is to identify what archaeological remains still exist from the defense of Cincinnati during the Civil War. By updating the recording of these features with the Office of State Archaeology, we can develop an interactive educational experience illuminating the achievement of the defenses and how important this was to deter the invasion and attack on Cincinnati in 1862,” he said.
Miller would also like to showcase the service of the Black Brigade, a unit of Black soldiers that helped to create the defenses that protected Kentucky and Ohio during the Civil War.
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