National Park Service Ranger Ron Howard is a Civil War buff. On
May 24, Memorial Day 2009, his job was to tell the story of Battlefield
Cemetery to those gathered to honor the soldiers buried there. The 41
graves hold the remains of Union soldiers who died defending Ft.
Stevens (and by extension, the Federal Capital) from the invading
confederates under the command of General Jubal Early on that hot July
1864.
Ron
Howard has spent 10 years researching the men buried there. He knows
them all by name. He speaks emotionally of the 19-year-old soldier who
was lying wounded in a hospital bed before being recalled to the front
lines and sacrificing his life for the Union cause. By amazing
coincidence Ranger Howard was able to locate a medallion belonging to
the soldier as it was up for sale on the Internet. That medallion, a
precusor of the modern dog-tags soldiers wear for identification, is
now one of his prized possessions.
On Saturday
July 11, the National Park Service will celebrate Ft. Stevens Day, in
remembrance of the battle. Ranger Howard will be on hand from 11 AM-4
PM to be a witness to history.
Ft. Stevens is located at 13th Street and Quakenbos NW. Battlefield Cemetery is on Georgia Ave, north of Van Buren St NW.
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