Wake Island was a glimpse of heaven. It is also closer to hell than we will hopefully ever come.
There are quite a few documents available that chronicle the experiences of the Bell men during the Civil War.
The South Carolinians, "taken completely by surprise, fled precipitously in the utmost confusion."
The men marched north to join with the Army of Tennessee for what would be the last stand of the Confederacy.
"I’ve seen wheat and oats go down before the scythe, and that is the way the ranks fell before the hail of bullets.”
The BVA was assigned to guard the railroad, They would spend the next three-plus years out of doors.
The men of the BVA "gaily prepared for the coming conflict with patriotic fervor."
Our ancestors were slaveholders. That's a difficult thing to write.
Mary Bell Grayson was affectionate, generous, and most of all present to those who loved her most dearly.
The historic Cathedral spires still stand, and its bells continue to ring as a symbol of the rich Catholic heritage of Savannah.