Posted on 05/05/2009 5:45:05 AM PDT by PurpleMan
Lorenzo Deming, a 20-year-old from New Britain, Conn., was one of the soldiers captured in the attack and was later transferred to Salisbury to one of the 11 prison camps established by the Confederates. Deming died in captivity at the age of 21 from pneumonia, his remains thrown in one of the 18 trenches alongside the bodies with 11,700 other Union prisoners that died from disease and starvation at the camp. For 143 years, his grave has been unmarked....
On Feb. 17, I received a response from the VA saying that it would not allow a headstone at the grave site of Lorenzo Deming because in 1992 there was a "memorial" headstone placed at a private family cemetery in New Britain, Conn. An internal VA regulation allows only one headstone to be placed per service member.
(Excerpt) Read more at salisburypost.com ...
BTW: Pease, this is about honoring an MOH recipient not about whether Lincoln was Satan personified, Lee the reincarnation of Arnold, States rights, etc, etc, etc.
The grave is now marked in my mind. http://www.cem.va.gov/CEMs/nchp/salisbury.asp
Hmmm...this is a tough one because the VA has apparently already provided Deming’s family with a headstone for the private cemetery. I can certainly see why the agency might not want to provide another one at the mass burial site after the fact. Is there a marker or monument with Deming’s name on it already there? If so, I don’t see the need as to why the VA needs to provide another.
Yea, but it’s not just “a grave.”
The MOH used to mean something.
I wonder it any relatives came forward taking the VA to task for it it they would change theiir tone.
This seems pretty simple, either move his remains or move the danged headstone. Is this the individual who had previously been misidentified as another soldier?
This is a “mass grave” so I doubt any of the remains have been identified. The author says the he “believes” the soldier’s remains are there based on his research. While I agree that MOH winners should be honored it appears that the VA has already done that at the families request in their own cemetary. The honor for these heroes is in the hearts and minds of those that know their sacrifice meant something. A stone is simply a stone no matter where it might be placed.
Post 6
Maybe I have this confused with another case, or I may be simply confused. I thought the family, after a long search, had discovered he had been improperly identified as another soldier and they, by having personal effects with the remains examined, determined his identity.
I think it is fitting to have the monument be moved to his resting place or have the remains moved to the family plot .... depending on the families wishes. I may be thinking of an episode the History Detectives, will see if I can find anything on their site.
The last link cited in my old post no longer works.
As far as the Medal of Honor winner goes, I concur with the thoughts above to either move the remains or the marker.
Firstly, this headline is *blatantly* misleading. There already is a headstone and it can be viewed right here: http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/states/pages_af/denning_lorenzo_ct.html
*The MOH used to mean something.*
The MOH actually means more now than it did during the Civil War for a few reasons, first and foremost being that there weren’t many other awards to dole out at the time so anything of merit was awarded an MOH. Almost half of all the MOH winners won the medal during the Civil War.
For those interested in this particular case:
“Deming [Denning?] served on board the U.S. Picket Boat No. 1 in action, 27 October 1864, against the Confederate ram Albemarle which had resisted repeated attacks by our steamers and had kept a large force of vessels employed in watching her. The picket boat, equipped with a spar torpedo, succeeded in passing the enemy pickets within 20 yards without being discovered and then made for the Albemarle under a full head of steam. Immediately taken under fire by the ram, the small boat plunged on, jumped the log boom which encircled the target and exploded its torpedo under the port bow of the ram. The picket boat was destroyed by enemy fire and almost the entire crew taken prisoner or lost.”
*As far as the Medal of Honor winner goes, I concur with the thoughts above to either move the remains or the marker. *
I’m pretty sure this is a decision only the family can make, no?
Agree.
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