When workers set out to refurbish the Sentry Monument from Cedar Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, they never dreamed a mystery would be revealed to them. Lebanon-based E&E Metal Fab Inc. was hired by the cemetery association last year to restore their Civil War monument, located in Bethel Township, which had shifted backwards over time. Upon commencing their work, which included securing the statue and its base as well as cleaning and repainting it, it became apparent that additional historical markings were etched on the monument. The monument pays tribute to local residents who fought in the bloodiest war in U.S. history. Erected and dedicated on May 31, 1884, the Union soldier has stood guard over Fredericksburg in Bethel Township for nearly 141 years.
Several initials, a phrase, a date, and other markings were etched onto the top portion of the monument’s base. It’s possible that the etchings were done in 1915 during what would have been a 50th-anniversary commemoration of the end of the Civil War, according to Fredericksburg history writer Kathy Bicksler Stouffer. She is the co-author of the 2021 book, “Fredericksburg, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania,” which includes a chapter on Fredericksburg-area churches and cemeteries, including Cedar Hill. Bicksler Stouffer and LebTown researched extensively in newspaper archives seeking more information about a possible 50th-anniversary ceremony at the cemetery, but no further details were revealed.
Bicksler Stouffer said she’s been told of, but has not found, a newspaper article discussing an Appomattox Day Gathering – a ceremony that’s still held today in the town where Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee agreed to end the war – that may have taken place at Cedar Hill Cemetery around the 50th anniversary. She also possesses the names of 17 local Civil War veterans who were still alive in 1915, and it’s possible some of those survivors wrote on the monument on April 8, 1915. She noted the words “Hand Cock ends the war 1865” were written on the monument adjacent to the date “April 8, 1915.” But whether a ceremony was held that day, a Thursday, is unknown.
The only local mention of the Civil War around its 50th anniversary is a page one photo in the Lebanon Daily News of generals Grant and Lee on April 9, 1915. The photo is accompanied by a caption noting the day was the golden anniversary of the war’s end. Bicksler Stouffer isn’t sure why someone wrote that comment about Winfield Scott Hancock (spelled as Hand Cock on the monument), but some research sheds light on why it was possibly signed that way. She noted that Hancock commanded troops after General John F. Reynolds was killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. On the third day of that battle, Hancock’s corps thwarted Pickett’s Charge, with Hancock risking his life while personally leading his troop’s charge. Hancock was wounded when a bullet ricocheted off his saddle and went through his thigh.
“He took months to recover, but he later participated in the Battle of the Wilderness, which is also noted on the monument,” said Bicksler Stouffer. “His corps also fought at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, which split Robert E. Lee’s army in two. He retired in 1864 due to his wounds, so the ‘Hancock ends the war 1865’ doesn’t make much sense.” While it doesn’t make much sense given his backstory, she offered an educated guess as to why someone may have felt compelled to honor Hancock. “I’m guessing the writer is crediting Hancock for the win at Gettysburg, which many consider the turning point of the Civil War. Of course, weakening Lee’s army by splitting it in two was quite an accomplishment as well,” Bicksler Stouffer wrote in an email to LebTown. “He (Hancock) later ran for president as the Democratic candidate, losing by a slim margin to Republican James Garfield. By the way, his nickname was ‘Hancock the Superb.'”
During renovations, E&E workers also discovered another name inscribed on a metal plate that helped to hold the Civil War sentinel in place. Workers found the name “Owens” etched on the bottom of that metal plate. When that was discovered, neither LebTown nor others associated with the project had consulted with Bicksler Stouffer about her prior research. At that time it was believed that the statue may have been removed since a circular hole was drilled into the metal base after it had been signed as what appeared to be “JJ Owens.” “It looks like a W,” said E&E sales rep Al Billig to LebTown while initially trying to decipher the signature on the metal base despite the hole drilled through Owen’s name. “It does look like Owens, doesn’t it?” LebTown, who has been following the renovation project since it was announced, asked Cedar Hill Cemetery secretary Rita Christ if she had an Owens in a cache of paperwork concerning the cemetery’s history. Christ had shared some of that paperwork with LebTown during the first story written about the cemetery association’s fundraising efforts, planned monument renovations, and eventual re-dedication ceremony once the statue is returned. She texted information that was contained in a document circa 1887 that she said was found in the Newberry Library that identifies the Owens in question. “Dedication by John H. Lick. JJ Owens of Lewisburg, Pa., has put up a Soldiers Monument on Cedar Hill Cemetery, Fredericksburg, Pa.,” reads the news blurb.
Unfortunately, no other records concerning “JJ Owens” or another iteration of that name were found via an internet search. Other than noting where he lived, no details about his life were found during an exhaustive search that would indicate why he was involved in this project. “That’s great info,” Billig wrote to LebTown about the confirmation of Owen’s identity. Later, when Bicksler Stouffer was consulted, she shared additional information about Owens. “J.A. Owens of Lewisburg was the agent for Monumental Bronze Company,” she wrote in an email along with a photo of an ad concerning his Connecticut-based company. That company was responsible for erecting thousands of monuments across the nation. The likeness of the soldier on Cedar Hill Cemetery’s sentinel has been used on countless other statues in various cemeteries across the United States. He is lovingly referred to as the “Silent Sentinel,” “Single Soldier,” or similar names, and he tops many of the thousands of Civil War monuments to be found in more than 30 states that were sold by Monumental Bronze Company, according to an Associated Press article.
The identities of other initials etched on the monument’s base may never be solved. What was initially believed to be the signature of Col. John H. Lick doesn’t seem to be the case upon further research. It seemed possible that he may have signed it because Lick was a local businessman whose mausoleum is located in Cedar Hill Cemetery and since he commissioned the Civil War monument’s construction in 1884. Christ sent Billig a photo of Lick’s signature on a program so that he could compare the two signatures. (While Lick may have signed the monument before 1915, he couldn’t have that year because he passed away on October 22, 1891, at his Lebanon residence.) “As much as I want to match it up, I cannot,” wrote Billig to LebTown after the statue had been lightly power washed and prior to Bicksler Stouffer weighing in on the multiple signatures. Following the initial dead-end lead, company president Willie Erb did some research and he believes the one signature may possibly belong to Frederick Jacob Light. Later, when a photo of those initials was sent to Bicksler Stouffer, she wrote this response to LebTown. “The first initials attached below could be Percival L Strauss. I thought at first that the first initial was an ‘F’ due to the horizontal arrow-looking stroke. However, I also noted a similar-looking item on one of the other signatures and think it may be a symbol for the unit (maybe a sword?) You may note that there is a ‘P’ looking letter above that.” In a later email, she wrote that “Percival Strauss owned the Strauss House (Hotel) from 1869 to 1895.” Today, the Strauss House is the Eagle Hotel in downtown Fredericksburg.
Another etching on the top portion of the statue’s base looks like a tiny heart along with other markings that are unidentifiable even after it had been lightly power washed. Billig noted that what appears to be other markings, possibly signatures, were also found after cleaning off over a century’s worth of grime from the monument. Unfortunately, those markings are illegible, including one on the front of the monument’s access door. Cedar Hill Cemetery was created in 1869 and the first person was buried there in 1870. After the monument was added in 1884, families were given the option to re-inter their loved ones who were Civil War veterans in the cemetery near the statue or throughout the graveyard, according to Christ. Fifty-six Civil War veterans are interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery, she added, out of the 192 veterans buried there total.
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