On May 27, 1893 with great reverence, the body of the dead President in its copper receptacle was removed from the vault at Metarie Cemetery and placed in a magnificent, heavy brass trimmed oak casket.
The procession formed for the long, slow march to the station. Newspaper accounts say the crowd was so dense along Canal Street that "...there was barely room for the procession to pass through".
After official respects were paid the Davis family by the governor, and other official functions planned for the occasion were over, the signal was given and the funeral train began to move slowly away from the station.
It was a historic moment when the train reached Montgomery at 6:00 a.m. on May 29th. Six black horses drew the platform bearing the casket up Dexter Avenue toward the Alabama State Capitol Building,and two columns of infantry marched alongside. The casket was placed in the supreme court room in the Capitol. Over the right exit was the word "Monterrey" and over the left, "Buena Vista", names of two famous battles in which Jefferson Davis had so gallantly figured before the days of the "Lost Cause".
All businesses and schools closed and church bells tolled during the procession to and from the Capitol. In final tribute, thousands of Montgomerians plus many ex-soldiers and school children filed by the casket.
At 12:20 p.m., about an hour and 20 minutes late, the funeral train departed for a stop in Atlanta and then on to Richmond. At 3:00 p.m., on May 31, the funeral procession started for Hollywood Cemetery, two miles away. The caisson bearing the casket was drawn by six white horses. Mrs. Davis, Winnie and Margaret were among those who followed in carriages.
Not since the War had so many Confederate soldiers been seen in Richmond. At least 75,000 people lined the streets and were at the cemetery.
The with a 21-gun salute afforded all Presidents, and the sounding of taps, Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States was finally laid to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment