Confederate Mound is a mass grave for 100+ Confederate soldiers who died at a field hospital in Meridian after being wounded in nearby Civil War battles. The soldiers were hastily buried near the hospital, and their graves were eventually forgotten.
In 1890 their graves were rediscovered when Meridian's first high school was being built. the remains were exhumed and buried in a mass grave shaped into a mound, which is the tallest point ion Rose Hill Cemetery.
The mound is topped with an obelisk that reads as follows:
"1861-1865
OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD.
Awaiting the Resurrection."
In 1890 Charles W. Read asked to be interred on the mound with his comrades. The request was granted. Eventually, his wife joined him in the mound.
From the Visit Meridian website: (
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"ROSE HILL CEMETERY
One of Meridian's oldest cemeteries is Rose Hill. Much of our history was shaped by those resting here. The oldest grave marker dates back to 1853, but burials were most likely taking place prior to that date. Here you will find the graves of city founders, prominent citizens, veterans of various wars and even the King and Queen of the Gypsies.
The highest point in Rose Hill Cemetery is the Confederate burial mound, located near the back of the grounds. One hundred soldiers who died at the Confederate hospital in Meridian are buried in this mound. This was not their original resting place. They were moved here when their graves were discovered during the construction of Meridian's first high school. In 1890, Lieutenant Charles W. Read, known as the "John Paul Jones of the Confederate Navy," was added to the mound. His wife, Nebraska Carter Read, who wanted to be buried beside her husband, is the only woman buried here.
The cemetery is open to the public, and private guided tours are available by request. Once a year the cemetery hosts a costumed tour where local storytellers, historians and other volunteers dress up and tell the stories of some of the cemetery's more famous residents."
This cemetery mound is also listed as a Confederate Cemetery in the Center for Civil War Research websiye run by Ole Miss University: (
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From Nathanial Culpepper's Shutter In Time blog, some more details: (
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"ROSE HILL CEMETERY CONFEDERATE MOUND
IMAGE NOVEMBER 10, 2014 NATHAN CULPEPPER
This is the Confederate mound in Rose Hill cemetery, Meridian, MS. There is an interesting story behind this that not a lot of people know. You see, this mound may be the final resting place for a number of soldiers who died during the war, but it was not their first or only resting place.
During the war, there was a building on the corner of 26th ave and 14th street that served as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The unfortunate soldiers who died there were buried at that site in a small cemetery, where they lay at rest for a number of years. Sometime around 1900, the city decided that corner, being on top of a high hill overlooking downtown, would make a great spot for the new “Big Central” high school. The only problem with their plan was the soldiers buried at that site. Well, they solved the problem by digging up the remains of all those men and moving them en masse by horse and cart to the hip, new “in spot” to be buried in Meridian, Rose Hill. They made a mound out of the remains, stuck an obelisk on top and built their high school. Years later, the high school was moved to its present location and the old building was torn down. Today, our grand central fire station #1 stands on that site that was once hallowed ground and the soldiers continue to rest in a bit more crowded spot at Rose Hill. Now, as Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story."