More About Riverside Cemetery

Memorial to Unknown Confederate Soldiers at Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville

I did walk again in Riverside Cemetery this week, and I did find the Confederate memorial that I missed on my first walk there.

The inscription on one side of the monument says that it was erected by a fellow soldier who survived and apparently prospered after the War. This fellow soldier was John Latham, a native son of Hopkinsville who became a wealthy Wall Street banker, but never forgot his hometown.

On the other sides, it is stated that these unknown Confederate soldiers died at Camp Alcorn. There are some nice words commending their courage and lamenting their tragic deaths. 101 men are laid to rest there.

On the east side (seen in the photo) the inscription says, "Around this column is buried all of heroism that could die," and below that, "Confederate Dead."

The Unknown Confederate Soldiers monument is tall, but another obelisk nearby is as tall as the roof of a two-story house.

The ground cover that is creeping over the steps grows throughout the old parts of the cemetery. It has a fuzzy heart-shaped leaf and a slightly purple tint to its green color. I have seen it before, but I don't know what it is. It's not an herb, or at least, its leaves don't have any particular fragrance when crushed. Apparently it's evergreen, at least in mild winters like the current one. This plant is the prevailing ground cover, other than grass.

I walked by the chapel and looked at it from the outside. Of course, it's locked, and there's not even a window to peer through. It was built around 1900 and then restored in the 1960 's. (It's probably about due for another restoration.) It is dedicated to the memory of about 40 Revolutionary War veterans who are buried in Riverside Cemetery.

I am not good at identifying trees in winter when they have no leaves, but I think this particularly gnarly trunk may be a maple. I've noticed that the bark on old maple trees is often shaggy.

I did make a positive identification of a ginko tree -- the ground under it is littered with its squishy little fruits. I'm surprised that animals haven't cleaned them up yet. Around here, the country folk speak of persimmons as "possum trees," but apparently ginkos don't fall into that category.

Related posts:
A Walk In Riverside Cemetery
Camp Alcorn at Hopkinsville, KY
Civil War Graves at Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, KY