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Confederate Dead at Ft. Riley, Kansas
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The Confederate soldier's buried at Ft. Riley were captured in March of 1862 at the Battle of Pigeon's Ranch northeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They were part of Henry Sibley's Army of New Mexico's Texas Mounted Rifle units. There is a large plaque dedicated near where they lay that tells their
story. The men were taken to Fort Riley in the Spring of 1862
where they performed construction and light duties for the
Yankees. Evidently these men and boys died their of wounds
or disease. The bulk of the POWs eventually were transferred
to Fort Leavenworth.
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One grave near the top of the hill's sextant records
says
"Confederate soldier-child." Maybe a drummer boy or musician?
None have names recorded in the records. We thought that the
word "ARD" on one headstone may be a last name since it is
found in the South to this day.
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Mrs. Armistead's (Lewis A. Armistead's wife) grave
lies near the
wall of the cemetery and has a new government issued headstone
and bronze plaque. Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1847
were instrumental in placing the two bronze plaques and procuring
the new stone for Mrs. Armistead that corrected several mistakes
on the old one.
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