Visiting Stonewall Jackson Cemetery by Erica Schiller

   Our visit today was profound to me in many ways.  At first, I wasn't really affected by the cemetery itself, or by the graves around.  It was an interesting piece of history, nothing more.  Once I really started to think about what I was seeing, to consider and look at the graves in detail, things became far more personal.  I'm an empathetic person by nature, so visiting grave sites and such is often difficult for me. 
   What struck me immediately were the sizes of the gravestones.  There was so much variety among them, from large obelisks to tiny headstones.  For some reason, I immediately assumed the small headstone were to children or babies, and I disliked seeing them because they made me think about how many young children died at the time due to poor medical care.  Later, after discussion, I realized that these smaller stones could have been for other reasons, such as poverty, status, or humility.  When I first saw them, however, my initial reaction was that of grief for children. 

   As we wandered the cemetery, I noticed that there were multiple graves that had dedications to their dead for being confederate soldiers.  There were crosses placed next to these graves, as pictured below.  The crosses didn't look very old.  Someone recent, perhaps still living, must hold these men and their sacrifices dear. 

   This grave was also a good example of a living memorial.  Though the people on the grave had died long ago, someone, probably their descendents, had decided to replace their headstone.  For what reason, I can't be sure--perhaps the original stone was crumbling, or poorly marked--but it shows how much someone cares for their heritage and for their ancestors' final resting place. 
    The Stonewall Jackson Memorial also reminded me of what we talked about in class in terms of axis of access.  No matter what side you approach the cemetery from, the statue is the first thing you see, directly in your line of vision.  It makes it the centerpiece of the area, makes it significant.  The fact that people throw lemons onto it and leave flags also makes it a living memorial, like we said.  I found it interesting that people still honor this long-dead figure in this way. 

   Overall, the visit was very interesting.  I have many more pictures, things such as people leaving flowers on graves, interesting inscriptions of significance (things like jobs, relationships to family members, religious things, involvements in organizations), variations in grave design, fenced in family plots, and more.  If given more time, I think I could have explored the cemetery much longer.  One thing I really wanted to do was find the oldest grave in the place.  It would be interesting to see who first started the burial ground and when.