From reading period letters and diaries and period books there seems to be a common theme. At least at Camp Chase the Confederates did not fear death perhaps because of their many religious upbringings. At least a few were proud to give there lives for their new country.
What they feared most was being forgotten as if their life never existed. Thoughts of will my beloved wife remarry will children remember the face of their father etc. Will people in years to come remember me?
While many folks gather at the memorials for the Confederates somehow it's not the same. So many of these soldiers have incorrect names on their tombstones and perhaps their largest fear has come full blown.
However yesterday as an example a descendant came to Camp Chase to try and find his ancestor. Fingers pointed toward me and the PHD descendant ask me if I was the Camp Chase Historian. I told him no I am a WBTS researcher and there is a difference. A good historian hopefully will have a master degree or PHD or perhaps has written several books. I explained to him that I'm a researcher and my niche of the Camp Chase Cemetery and its dead.
He again ask me do you have anything about my ancestor buried here? I said if he is buried here then yes, and explained to him what a Confederates fear was before dying. I told him it took over 150 years but you came and so much applaud your efforts and journey. It's people like this who I will turn over everything concerning their ancestor and it so happened I had a lot on his ancestor.
We walked and showed him his ancestors tombstone and he was delighted his ancestor had been with the 39th Alabama. I told him he could not believe everything that was set in stone and to a degree he was with the 39th Alabama but had been transferred to Company A of the 44th Alabama in 1863. Of course he ask why was he transferred? My thoughts were that because of the 1850 United States census which I had he had two brothers in Company A of the 44th Alabama.
His ancestor was somewhat of a normal stat. 1 of 2 tombstones at Chase are from General Hood's AOT although he only held the commanding generals position for a bit longer than six months. The most common reason for death at Chase was pneumonia and that is what he died of. And most of the Confederate dead died in 1865 and his ancestor died in February 1865 of which he was one of the 499 men who died in that month and year.
He was thankful for the information and I was thankful of his devotion to his ancestor. Now he can listen to the words of the Bonnie Blue Flag perhaps in a different way.