Delta Kappa Epsilon - University of Alabama

Sighs of Psi 9 Off to Cold Harbor Early June 2014 saw the 150 th anniversary commem- oration of the Battle of Cold Harbor. There seemed to be no better time to visit the battlefield, to learn what more we could about the circumstances of our story, and to investigate Edwin's supposed burial there. I got on a plane with my 7-year old son, Brandon, and after a quick visit to the oceanfront home of the family of Brother Mark Medley '84 in Wrightsville Beach, N. C., Brandon and I headed for Virginia and the battlefield. We arrived on June 3rd, 150 years to the day since Grant's bloody failed "grand assault" on Lee's army. We quickly located Cold Harbor National Cemetery and Edwin's grave (see photos). 9 We were pleased to find that, just as his brother found it in 1925, it is "well kept," with the same stone inscribed with "his name, rank and regiment, also the date of his death." We also found atop his tombstone a Canadian "Toonie" coin, left there almost two months earlier on April 13, 2014, by Brother Darrell Nieberding, Delta Phi Alberta 1981, as "a small tribute from a Canadian Deke," in the words of Brother Nieberding (see photo). After exploring the battlefield, and armed with maps previously provided to us by Mr. Krick of the Park Service, we were determined to try and find the exact location of Edwin's wounding and capture, as well as the site of his initial burial immedi- ately after his death. We were assisted in our efforts by Mr. Jason Spellman of the Park Service, Mr. Krick being then fully immersed in the events com- memorating the 150 th anniversary of the battle. With this assistance, we were able to determine that the site of Brother Rogers' capture, while not known pre- cisely, was located on private land, out- side of the battlefield land owned and administered by the Park Service. Like most major Civil War battlefields, the entire Cold Harbor battlefield is not entirely preserved as public land. The Battle of Cold Harbor took place over a seven-mile front, and only a relatively small portion of core battlefield of that entire large area is administered by the Park Service. Most of the remaining battlefield land, however, has fortunate- ly remained in a semi-rural state of resi dential development, with much of the area still consisting of wooded green space. We headed for the general area described by Mr. Spellman, which was near the intersection of two local roads, Route 633 and Route 635, and in the general vicinity of a dirt road called Crossing Oaks Trail. I was hoping to find a spot where Brandon and I could duck quietly into the woods and perhaps find a "gulch" that might be the one near where Edwin had been wounded and captured, as described in Luther Roger's War Record. We got to the area in question, turned onto Crossing Oaks Trail, and quickly discov- ered that we were apparently not the first people to try and explore the private property here, where fighting had taken place during the battle. Numerous signs reading "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" made it clear that the local landowners were not desir- ous of visitors like Brandon and me. Not caring to have to explain to my wife how her seven year-old son and I had been arrested for trespassing, we remained on Crossing Oaks Trail, but at least I was able to take some pictures of the general area where I felt confident that Edwin had met his demise (see photo). Mr. Krick subsequently confirmed his belief that we were probably very near where Edwin and his pickets had been "ambushed" by Rebs on June 7, 1864, and he at least made me feel relieved that I had not embarked my son on a life of crime by invading private property: "I very much doubt that even with unfettered access to everything around that area you could make an accurate or likely deduction about which gully or which ravine is the correct one. But yes, in general the Route 633/635/Crossing Oaks Trail area is accurate. You were in the right place, and probably within sight of where the event occurred." So, it appears that we did about as well as we could reasonably have expected in locating Edwin's picket line. We also wanted to try and find the location of Edwin's initial burial by his Southern benefactor. Recall that Rogers' remains were disinterred from his initial burial site in 1866, and reinterred at his existing gravesite at the Cold Harbor National Cemetery. Mr. Krick had previously advised us that the records pertaining to Edwin's reinterment indicate that he came from "Woody's," which is very likely is a reference to the Woody House, which was immediately behind the Federal FROM THE HISTORIAN 9 Edwin Rogers' grave can be easily found, and is located in Section D, Grave #812 of Cold Harbor National Cemetery. A Southern boy keeping watch over Brother Rogers. The author's son, Brandon, at the grave of Edwin S. Rogers on June 7, 2014, the 150th anniversary of his mortal wounding at Cold Harbor. The Canadian "Toonie" coin left there two months earlier can be seen atop the tombstone. The general vicinity where Edwin Rogers was wounded and captured, Cold Harbor, Virginia. (Continued on page 10)

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