Shadrach Bond and James Garretson - American Revolutionary War Veteran Graves on Waymarking.com

Below is a discription of their final resting place according to Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery, INC.

EAGLE CLIFF MILES CEMETERY

MONROE COUNTY ILLINOIS

Eagle Cliff / Miles Cemetery was established as a public burial ground in the early 1800s on land donated by Truman Miles. The cemetery was originally known as the Eagle Cliff Graveyard. The first known burial was in 1806. At the time that the cemetery was established, the area was part of the Indiana Territory and the territorial capitol was Vincennes. It would be more than a decade before the area would become part of the new state of Illinois in 1818.
There are two veterans of the American Revolutionary War known to be buried here. They are Shadrach Bond and James Garretson. Both were members of George Rogers Clark’s expedition to the area in the summer of 1778 for the purpose of driving the British from Cahokia and Kaskaskia. George Rogers Clark was the older brother of William Clark who was the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Corps of discovery expedition that explored the Louisiana Purchase territory. In 1782, both men took their military pay in the form of land and moved into the area. Shadrach bond lived on land that is immediately west of the cemetery in the Mississippi River bottom. A marker commemorating that fact is located along Bluff Road just south of the village of Fountain. For a time, Bond’s Nephew, also named Shadrach Bond, resided with him. His nephew would later become the first Governor of the new state of Illinois in 1818. Governor Shadrach bond is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Chester, Illinois.
In addition to the two veterans of the revolutionary War, there are many veterans of other wars buried in this cemetery, including a number of veterans of the Civil War. Many of the veteran’s graves are marked by modern headstones. These stones have been supplied by the state of Illinois to replace headstones that have been damaged or lost over the years.
Stephen W. Miles, a wealthy local landowner, commissioned Major Yrasillion to build a family burial vault. The vault was built in 1858 at a cost of $25000. Marble for the vault was brought by ship from Italy to New Orleans, then up the Mississippi River by steamboat and, finally, over land by wagon to the construction site.
With the rise to prominence of the Miles family and the construction of the Miles family vault, the cemetery became popularly known as Miles Cemetery. Today, the cemetery is most frequently referred to by that name.
Because the cemetery was a public burial ground, there was no central organization to keep a record of the burials or assign burial locations. People were free to select their own burial plot. Maintenance of the cemetery was left to family and friends.
Many of the graves in the cemetery are either unmarked or are marked with ordinary stones, probably removed from the surrounding bluffs. A few have stones that have hand carved initials on them.
Over the years, families either moved from the area or lost interest in maintaining graves and the cemetery lapsed into a state of disrepair. Adding to the problem was the fact that the cemetery became a favorite target for vandals. Much of the damage seen today is the result of acts of vandalism. The Miles vault is an example. Vandalism still occurs today, especially spray painting of the vault. Other recent acts of vandalism have included tipping over or breaking headstones and the theft of the last remaining example of wrought iron fencing used to define a family burial plot.
The cemetery is approximately four acres in size. The number of graves sites in unknown. Estimates have placed the number as high as 2000, but the exact number will never be known. In recent years, research through the records of churches in the surrounding area has helped to identify persons who were buried in the cemetery even though the exact location of their graves in not known.
The most recent burial in the cemetery was in 1978.

Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery Incorported

Location type: Section of a Cemetery/Mass Grave Cause of death: Died Later Grave Marker Text: Shadrach Bond and James Garretson are both veterans of the American Revolutionary War. Both were members of George Rogers Clark’s expedition to the area in the summer of 1778 for the purpose of driving the British from Cahokia and Kaskaskia. George Rogers Clark was the older brother of William Clark who was the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Corps of discovery expedition that explored the Louisiana Purchase territory. In 1782, both men took their military pay in the form of land and moved into the area. Shadrach bond lived on land that is immediately west of the cemetery in the Mississippi River bottom. A marker commemorating that fact is located along Bluff Road just south of the village of Fountain. For a time, Bond’s Nephew, also named Shadrach Bond, resided with him. His nephew would later become the first Governor of the new state of Illinois in 1818. Governor Shadrach bond is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Chester, Illinois. Date of Birth: Not listed Date of Death: Not listed Ranks: Not listed

Visit Instructions:

PLEASE NOTE: This category is for American Revolutionary War Veterans only. Veterans of other revolutions are not part of this category.

I have allowed one entry for a grave of British solders, but it was an exception. Please only list graves for Colonial soldiers.

Simply visit the locations. Please provide as much information as possible. Pictures would be a great addition.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/08/2007 cds231 visited it 04/09/2007 RGS visited it 03/24/2006 BruceS visited it

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