Re-dedications

Civil War Cannon Re-dedication
Rose Hill Cemetery, Newburgh Indiana
April 5th, 2008

On a sunny early April Saturday afternoon, a Civil War cannon and memorial, which has stood watch in Newburgh’s Rose Hill Cemetery for 104 years, was rededicated with approximately 40 people in attendance. The Rose Hill Cemetery Board along with the American Legion Kapperman Post #44 and the SUVCW, Department of Indiana participated in the rededication ceremony. Members of the Department of Indiana conducting the ritual of rededication were brothers Tim Beckman (Camp #356 SVC) and Mike Tomey (Camp #356 Chaplain), and the SVR’s Mike Beck (Camp #356 CC), Garry Walls (Camp #356 JVC), Dennis Hutchinson (Camp #356), Alan Teller (Camp #1 PCC and PDC), and Larry Myer (Camp #1). Ben Harrison Camp member Rob Hall, who resides in Evansville, was also in attendance. The Red Bank ReUnion Band from Evansville also participated in the ceremony, playing Civil War era music and performing an excellent rendition of Taps to conclude the ceremony.

The Rose Hill Cemetery Board of Directors should be commended for their tireless work on this project. The old Smooth Bore Flank Howitzer was cleaned and painted and placed onto a new half circle stone wall base with engraved black granite tablets affixed onto the half circle stone wall behind the cannon detailing its history and the history of the Newburgh GAR Post #262, which was responsible for originally placing the cannon in the cemetery in 1904. There is a pass-through between the walls where stepping-stones will be placed to help finance the project. A beautiful new 20-foot flagpole bearing a Civil War era 34-star flag was also erected at the site of the new cannon memorial. Too many of these cannons have disappeared from our cemeteries, court houses, parks, etc. over the years, so it is nice to see that the cannons still left are cared for and maintained as lasting reminders of the sacrifices our “boys in blue” endured to preserve our great nation.