The Garden of Death: The Fallen Sparrows of Fort Mahone

 How fortunate that I have been able to contribute to another book. The first consisted of two volumes and is excellent. Blood and War at my Doorstep: North Carolina Civilians in the War between the States . Angela Smythe, the author of The Garden of Death: The Fallen Sparrows of *Fort Mahone , has done extensive research on John Wilkes Booth and believes she has found a picture him while in the Richmond Grays. John Wilkes Booth & The Richmond Grays .

My great grandfather and great uncle knew all the men in the "Civil War Requiem" video as they were part of the 53rd NC which was the sole unit defending *Fort Mahone. (Fort Mahone was named "Fort Damnation" by the Yankees)

**Handpicked men of the 53rd (My great grandfather was one of these) made the final, night assault at Petersburg in an attempt to break Grant's line. This was against Fort Stedman which was a few miles to the slight northeast. They initially succeeded, but reinforcements drove them back. This video is made from photographs which were taken the day after the 53rd evacuated the lines the night before to begin the retreat to Appomattox.

I have many more pictures taken by the same photographer, one of these shows a 14 year old boy and the other is the famous picture of the blond, handsome soldier with his musket.

**General Gordon promised the men a gold medal and 30 days leave if they accomplished their task and many years after the War my great grandfather wrote General Gordon, who was then governor of Georgia about this incident. They exchanged several letters which I have framed.  **The Attack On Fort Stedman

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The Garden of Death: The Fallen Sparrows of Fort Mahone has been web released today on the sesquicentennial observance of the deaths of the men and boys seen in the heartbreaking photographs taken by Thomas Roche in the trenches of Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2nd, 1865. 

The article was web released at: "A Little Touch of History, An Awesometalks Program"

It is also hosted on my website: "AntebellumRichmond" under "Essays"

Direct link to the article itself: The Garden of Death: The Fallen Sparrows of Fort Mahone

I wish to thank each and every one of you for your invaluable assistance during the research that went into this article.  As I did not have affiliations for some of you, I have listed your individual names alphabetically under the article's concluding Contributors page.  Please let me know if there are any corrections desired.

I hope that this memorial to those who have none in stone, while but a wisp in the ether, may serve to remind people when looking at these photographs to "see" that "there is indeed a special providence in the fall of a sparrow."  This year, the sesquicentennial of Roche's photographs befittingly falls on Good Friday, April 3rd.  Sometimes history and serendipity walk hand in hand.  In this case I truly believe their footsteps were one and the same.

With my sincerest gratitude -

Angela Smythe