03/11/2023
Denise and I have always been fascinated with old cemeteries, the older the better. Every place we've ever lived we've been close to a cemetery and occasionally walk through them to look at the tomb stones. We find them very reverent and peaceful places and always treat them with the utmost respect.
Here is no different. There is an old family cemetery behind our house, the Lange family cemetery.
While out looking for something to take pics of today, I decided to visit this cemetery to photograph some of the tomb stones. I didn't get to stay long because it was cold and started sleeting but I was able to grab a few shots.
The first photograph is the tomb stone of Anton Gerschwyler. I haven't been able to find much about this individual, but his stone is marked with "CO. 1 1 MO. ENGRS". Doing a little research on this, I was able to find that this was the 1st Missouri Engineer Regiment that served in the Union Army during the Civil War. It was organized in February, 1864. This regiment served with General Sherman's army and figured largely in Sherman's march across the South to the Sea and Carolinas campaign. According to Wikipedia, "In addition to building roads and repairing railroads and bridges, the regiment provided "pontooneer" detachments which transported and constructed mobile temporary bridges which sped the movement of Sherman's units. Confederate General Joe Johnston paid tribute to the 1st Missouri (and Sherman's other engineers) when he said: "When I learned that Sherman’s army was marching through the Salk swamps, making its own corduroy roads at the rate of a dozen miles a day, I made up my mind that there had been no such army in existence since the days of Julius Caesar."
Mr. Gerschwyler obviously lived an interesting life. It would be fascinating to be able to sit down with him, share a cup of campfire coffee and listen to the stories he could tell.
