Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-02
HILLS FIRST BURIAL.
THE REMAINS BROUGHT TO THIS
CITY IN AN AMBULANCE.
Diflcuity OF Securing a Coffin-Scenes ana
Incidents OF the Evacuation
Family Preference.
Locusr DALE. Va. July %. 1891.

mention Is made of the first lnternent or
the Generals body which is very far from
being correct. The temporary burial OK
the body III Chesterfield (where 1t remain
ed several years. was an act of necessity
and not OF choice or prearrangeneni. AS
the only surviving relative who partlci-
rated In the sad rites OF burial OF our as
ijnguished dead feel that It Is my privi-
lege rs well as duty 10 make the correction
and 10 explain why his grave has renamed
so long unmarked ly tombstone or shaft.
and why he was not buried IN his native
county (Cuueper. General Hill was hll-
ed near Petersburg. July ,, 1865, and the
next dav tthat memorable SUNDAY that
ended tn existence Of the capital 81
the Confcdcracv) messenger reached
nv home III Richmond bearing 70 ne the
first sad news of tine General death. ana
that his body was then ~ route 70 the cl'y
tby ambulancei with the request that
would take charge of aud If possible hurY
y in HOLLYWOOD. The bearer of that mes
sage was Henry Hill Jr.. IA nephew OF tne
General and son Of Colonel Henry Hl,
Unconstitutional OF Virginia who was
formerly pnymaster IN She n,ted states
arms. II was about O'clock in the after
noon when Henry Hi, Jr.. reached nay
house. he had left the body OF the Nehe-
raj in care o, thc ambulance-drlNer ABOUT
half way between petersburg ana hlch-
mond N order 70 apprise NE. 50 that TIE
necessary preparations tor burial might be
made with rs little delay "a possible. lie
sold 10 me that Il was the wisn OF the
Generals wife and brothers that II the
body could not be buried in Hollywood 70
have ittaken to Culpeper, and IN the later
event, If il we're possible, 10 meet the
Generals wife and children MONDAY
morning at the refugee home OF my ia her
-, ~ no 10 ont
lust below the old beiiona arsenal. aud
| they would accompany IT 10 Cupeper.
TIE CONFUSION IN RICHMOND.
The excitement and confusion IN Rich
| mond incident 10 the evacuation OF the
ciiy by the Confederate rs well as state
| authorities rendered II impTacticablo tor
| me to bury the Generals remains In tlol-
| lywood. even If the necessary arrange
mcnts had been perfected, and nban.:
| doned that purpose and determined II
| possh 20 carry cat the second request OF
the family-aameiy, to take tho BODY to
| Culpeper.
| Owing to the crowded condition OF the
road from Petersburg TO Richmond and
the long delay at the Manchester end OF
| Mavo's bridde caused by the flight OF people
| from the doomed city the ambulance Dear
ing the Generals body did not reach
Richmond until after 1 o'clock Sunday
night. Ihe dryer had been directed by
Henry Hill, Jr., to take the body 10 his
fathers Colonel Henry Hills Office. at
that time located IN the basement OF the
old Court of Appeals building that stood
| on the southeast corner OF the capitol
Square at the intersection Oh Franklin
| and Twelfth streets. ! was assistant pai-
master under Colonel Hill and had charge
OF the office. and by direction OF the GOV
ernor (Smith) | had packed up all the
books and papers belonging to the ray
mastcr-Gcnerals Office and placed them
on tho canal-boat that conveyed the
| Governor and cadets out OF the city. |
| did not know until the Generals remains
reached Richmond that coffin had
not been provided. My cousin (henry
| Hill, Jr.) had failed to mention this tact,
and | naturally supposed that the body
| had been prepared for burial before II lett
| Petersburg
| EXPECTING THE FEDERAL TROOPS.
Time was pressing us closely, as we were
expecting the entrance OF tho Federal
| troops into the city at any moment. The
$ ores on Twelfth. Thirteenth, Main, and
| Cary streets mad been broken INTO and IN
many instances sacked and fired. Belyln's
! furniture store had been opened at both
| ends Ghe rear being then on lwelftn
street,. and my cousin and myself entered
| the rear door, hoping To tnd representa-
| tive to whom we could apply for collin.
| After making repeated calls and recelyln.
no answer, We secured a coffin and took 1t
! to a vacant Office (Which had been occu-
| pied by General +. L. Moore, about where
| the st. James Hotel now stands. We re-
| moved the body from the ambulance into
| the Office, where We washed his face and
removed his gauntlets. and examined his
| body to discover where the fatal ball had
entered. We discovered that 1t had shot
of the thumb OF his left hand and passed
| directly through his heart, coming out at
the back. We hastily placed the body n
the coffin (Which was rather small. and
putting Il in the ambulance. left tho city
! by way of Fourteenth street and NayO5
| bridge. slowly and sadly vending our way
| through Manchester and up the river To
my fathers refugee home. Ho had reiu-
geed from Culpeper county.
When our small but sad funeral ccriege.
| consisting of myself. cousin Henry Hill,
! Jr., and the ambulance driver, had reach
ed within a mile of my fathers home |
rode ahead to spprise the family OF our
| coming, believing that tho Generals wife
| and children had already reached there
| with the sad news. / found the family at
| breakfast and totally ignorant of the sad
| changes that had taken place within the
past forty-elght hours. The Generals
| family had not arrived, and the condition
4
rious doubts as TO the practicabiity or adj
visibility OF attempting to convey them so
| great distance across the country in an
| ambulance (more than one hundred miles
| TO Culpeper). We decided then and there
| to give his remains temporary burial, and
at some future day remove them TO hls ma
| tive county and place HIM by the side OF
his parents. The grave was hastily dug,
! and with the assistance of my fathers but
| 10 I ms Ia "A y
fin. We buried tho body about 2 Z. NJ.
| April 4. 1s6j, in the old Winston burying-
ground, where il remained until removed
| 10 Hollywood several years later through
the kind efforts of Colonel Palmer and his
army associates.
DID NOT WISH 10 SURVIVE THE EVACUATION.
Ny father (the late Thomas Hill, Jr.. of
| Culpeper,) and Colonel Henry Hill were
| brothers and were first cousins and bro
| thers-in-law of General Hill, they having
married his sisters. Colonel Henry Hill
and his wife (the Generals sister, were ut
that time staying DIT my fathers refugee
| home Only few days before the General
was killed he. with his wife and children.
| had spent several days at my fathers to re-
cuperate his health. he returned to his
| command before his furlough expired.
| During this visit to my fathers home he
accompanied Colonel Hill to Richmond,
! and while seated IN our once talking with
several prominent citizens who had called
to pay their respects the subject of the
| evacuation of the city was touched upon,
which seemed to greatly annoy the Gene
raj, and he remarked that he did not wish
to survive the fall of Richmond. That was
on Wednesday. Three days lator he gave
| up his life for his country.
After the close of the war 1t was the de-
sire and purpose of his family and rela-
tiyes to remove the body to Culpeper and
suitably mark his grave; but his army
associates particularly his own staff OIL
| cers) asked that this sad but sacred testi-
mony of love and esteem might be assigned
| to them, which was acqulesced in, and no
| further effort was made by his own family
| or relatives to do honor to his memory.
| We felt aggrieved that his grave remained
so long unmarked by slab, shaft. or
other indication Of carrying out such o
promise. save the purchase and beautify-
| ing of section in Hollywood. and the re-
moval of the body under the direction of
| Colonel Palmer and others OF his staff and
army associates to that beautiful city of
| the dead.