Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005
Wednesday, December 7th, marked the one hundredth anniversary of the dedication of the Pennsylvania Monument in the national cemetery. The monument, an imposing granite and marble structure was dedicated on December 7, 1905, with over 2,000 people in attendance, including over 400 former prisoners of war. On Wednesday afternoon, a much smaller group gathered in the cemetery to rededicate the monument to the memory of the nearly 5,000 Pennsylvanians who were prisoners of war at Andersonville. The program was organized and sponsored by Gettysburg Camp 112, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. This dedicated group first approached the park over two years ago about a possible rededication ceremony. The park agreed and the planning began with William Mock of Alum Bank, Pennsylvania, commander of Gettysburg Camp 112, SUVCW, and John Price II, lieutenant commander of the ?Gettysburg Blues?, Sons of Veteran Reserve. Like some others involved in the ceremony, Mock?s great-grandfather Aaron Mock was a prisoner at Andersonville. The groups received support from a number of individuals and organizations throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Wednesday?s commemoration also included a ?March of Honor? from Providence Spring at the historic prison site to the location of the monument in the national cemetery. The march provided an opportunity for descendents and others to pay homage to those held at Andersonville by carrying small Pennsylvania flags, numbered to represent the various regiments from the state whose members were imprisoned in 1864 and 1865. The Sons of Union Veterans made a generous donation to the park that helped the staff in cleaning and preservation of the monument. |
