John T. Graves, died in 1950, at the age of 108. He was the last soldier living at the home, and the last buried in the cemetery.
800 Confederates are buried here.
Monument Erected by: Erected by the Missouri Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Gloria Victis
Markers Erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
County of Cemetery: Lafayette County.
Location of Cemetery: 1st St., inside Missouri Confederate Memorial State Historic Site, Jct. MO-213, busi. MO-13, & MO-20, 2 miles N. of Higginsville.
Marker in Cemetery: Contains the 800 names and the tomb locations plus a poem:
"Step lightly near this sacred spot,
and move with solemn tread,
For this is consecrated soil,
Where sleep our honored dead!
The sunlight shimmers through the boughs
Of shadowy forest trees,
Nature weeps here, her silent tears,
A requiem sighs the breeze,
When the tall grasses gently wave,
the wild flower lifts its head,
As if its tribute sweet,
to bring our Confederate dead,...
Elizabeth Ustick McKinney, 1894.
The Civil War may have ended in 1865, but vivid memories of the "Lost Cause" lived on for decades at the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri. Opened in 1891, the Confederate Home provided refuge to more than 1,600 veterans and their families for nearly 60 years. These veterans hailed from points throughout the South and served in every major battle of the Civil War. Foot soldiers, artillery and cavalrymen, marines, guerrilla fighters and even spies found a place of rest here in their old age. The very last of these former rebel soldiers, John T. Graves, died at the home in 1950 at the age of 108, thus bringing an end to an amazing era in Missouri history.
Marker at Entrance to Cemetery Text:
Our Confederate Dead
Confederate Memorial Cemetery was established early in the history of the Confederate Home in Missouri. It became the final resting place for 693 Confederate veterans and 108 of their wives.
The first interment was in 1892; the last occurred in 1950 when John T. Graves, the last resident Confederate veteran, died at age 107. His headstone is simply inscribed, "JOHN T. GRAVES, THE LAST OF G. SHELBY'S MEN."
The United Daughters of the Confederacy, one of the Confederate Home's founding organizations, erected the large granite monument that dominates the center of the cemetery. Dedicated to all who served the Confederacy in June of 1906, the monument was inspired by the Lion of Lucerne statue in Lucerne, Switzerland. That monument commemorates the Swiss Guards massacred by a mob while protecting the French King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. The lion, mortally wounded yet proud and defiant, was deemed an appropriate symbol for the Confederacy. The lion's forepaw rests upon the Great Seal of the Confederacy, which features a mounted George Washington surrounded by a wreath pf agricultural products vital to the South. The United Daughters of the Confederacy emblem is centered directly below the lion and set against the first, second, and third national flags of the Confederacy and the Confederate battle flag.
[pictured on marker: Superintendent of the home and other dignitaries at the dedication of the monument.]Marker on Right Half of Cemetery Text:
Confederate States of America
National Flags
Adopted in March 1861, the "Stars and Bars" [see photo in galley]was the first national flag officially used by the Confederate States of America (CSA). This flag originally contained sever stars, one to represent each of the seven original states of the CSA. As more states seceded from the Union, additional stars were added until a total of 13 appeared on the flag. The last two stars represented Kentucky and Missouri. When attempts to lead these two states into the Confederacy failed, secessionist state government officials established governments-in-exile with representation in the Confederate Congress.
Because the Confederate Stars and Bars flag was too easily confused with the Union Stars and Strips in the heat of battle, a new national flag was officially adopted on May 1, 1863. This flag incorporated a "stainless" white field with the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia as its canton. This second national flag also caused problems on the battlefield, as its large white field could (and sometimes was) mistaken for a flag of surrender. To raise a flag of surrender and then continue fighting was considered the height of dishonor.
The third and final national flag [see photo in galley] of the CSA was adopted on March 4, 1865. A vertical red bar was added to the fly to solve the problem of confusing this flag with a surrender flag. Thirty-six days after this flag was adopted, the Civil War ended when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. Other Southern commanders surrendered their armies shortly afterward.
Marker on left side of Cemetery Text:
Confederate States of America
Battle Flags
The flag most often associated with the Confederate States of America today is the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. [see photo in gallery] On the battlefield, regimental or divisional battle flags served a variety of functions: they helped the men stay together during the confusion of battle; they acted as a rallying point for retreats or charges; and they allowed observers to follow the course of the battle.
After seceding from the Union, many Confederate states adopted state flags. [see photo in gallery] Missouri did not create an official Confederate state flag, but Gen. Sterling Price did adopt a state guard flag for use by militia units in the spring of 1861. The Missouri State Guard did not transfer as a unit to the Confederate Army but some State Guard members enlisted in the Confederate units that became the 1st and 2nd Confederate Brigades.
Many regiments, especially in the western theater, developed their own regimental flags. Sometimes called "Price's flag", [see photo in gallery] this flag was carried by several Missouri regiments fighting for the Confederacy. In recent years, it has come to be called the "Missouri Battle Flag."