I was in the Brooklyn area earlier this month on a business trip. Needless to say, the area has a significant amount of Civil War era graves. One would expect this as New York sent a lot of her sons to fight. Prior to my trip, I perused Find-A-Grave and located many generals, colonels and Medal of Honor recipients that I wanted to visit. As is so often the case, there were way more graves than I could visit.
I started at Calvary Cemetery which is located in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. It was late afternoon so I did not have much time there, but I was able to visit the graves of Major General Francis J. Herron and Brigadier General Michael Corcoran. Herron spent much of the early Civil War in the Western Theater and commanded two divisions as they marched to support General James G. Blunt in northwest Arkansas in December 1862. His epic march is not widely known, but resulted in a stunning victory at the Battle of Prairie Grove. Michael Corcoran is best known for commanding the “Fighting 69th” New York Militia which would later become the backbone of the famed Irish Brigade. His original monument has been replaced with a modern one. The last stop I made this day was the grave of Robert Nugent. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery and the picture of his tombstone was taken in near darkness. Nugent, along with Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher, was instrumental in forming the Irish Brigade during the winter and spring months of 1862.
I had some time on the second day of my trip to visit historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. This is an amazing cemetery and the staff is very helpful. There were approximately 65 famous graves I wanted to visit here, but I was forced to prioritize my visit as time would not allow me to see each grave. I was able to give my regards to several prominent Civil War figures while I was there. A few of these are Henry W. Halleck, Thomas W. Sweeny, Abram Duryee and Fitz John Porter. To view a short photo essay of these graves, and others, click on the following link.
Mike’s Photo Essay on Civil War Era Graves of New York City
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