Standing proud and tall, with a laurel wreath – a symbol of victory over death – draped over it's top, is a monument to the career soldier Thomas James Berry. The four sides and panels tell the story of his supreme sacrifice in body and a life cut short.
In Memory of
Thomas James Berry
Born October 28, 1835
Who Died At Newnan, The Place Of His Birth, The 16th Day Of October A.D. 1865.
A Graduate Of The United States Military Academy At West Point, N.Y. Class Of 1857.
He Served As Lieutenant Of Dragoons In The U.S. Army Till 1861.
A Soldier In The Southern Army He Was Wounded In Seven Battles.
No Country E'er Had A Truer Son --
No Cause A Nobler Champion;
No People A Braver Defender,
Than The Dead Soldier Who Sleeps Here!
A Man Tried,
In Many High Offices And Critical Enterprises;
And Found Faithful In All.
In His Honor Impregnable;
In His Simplicity Sublime.
An Obituary from 21 October 1865 edition of Newnan Herald (Georgia):
DIED,
At the family residence in this place, on Monday, the 16th inst., Colonel THOMAS J. BERRY, in the 30th year of his age, son of Hon. A. J. Berry, and late of the 60th Regt. Ga. Vols., Army of Virginia.
Col. Berry graduated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in the Class of 1857, was commissioned Lieutenant in the 2d Dragoons, U.S. Army, with which he served in the Utah campaign, and against the Indians in Oregon and California till the secession of Georgia, January 19th, 1861, when he resigned his commission in the Federal Army and tendered his services in defence of his native South.
Ever at his post, from the siege of Fort Pickens to the close of the war, he participated in the severe battles in front of Richmond, at the second Manassa [sic], and in the Valley, receiving five wounds, by which his manly form was exhausted.
He will be remembered long by his numerous friends and acquaintances as a genial companion, a talented scholar, a courteous and polite gentleman, and by the gallant veterans of the Virginia Army as a brave and true soldier.
The remains of Thomas James Berry rest at Oak Hill Cemetery at Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia.
Are you wondering what's up with all the "letter" posts? I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (links to official page). This challenge lasts through the month of April, with Sundays off. Each day follows a different letter prompt, in order, from A to Z. Click here to see all my letter posts on one page (in reverse order). This blog as a whole is one of my themes – telling the tales of tombstones, primarily from those found in the Southern United States and usually the State of Georgia. You may follow along with me by email and other social media platforms listed at the top of the sidebar. I and other bloggers in the challenge on Twitter will also be using #atozchallenge.
Though this is my second year in the challenge, it's my first with two blogs. I am also participating with Lincecum Lineage. Though it is a one name study blog, my theme there is "kinfolk direct." These genealogy and family history posts all involve a direct relative.
Are you participating in the challenge, too? Please leave a link to your blog in the comments, I'd love to pay you a visit. Good luck to all involved!
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