I am a retired Huntsville Alabama Police Officer. I have been a student of local history for many years. My main interests lie in Alabama Civil War Units. One of the saddest things about the Civil War was that so many young men left home and were never heard from again. Their families never knew how or where they died or where they were buried. Thanks to the work of many Findagrave contributors, I have reunited many of these brave men,if only in a virtual cemetery. These cemeteries are a constant work in progress and a tedious undertaking. If you have a relative that has not yet been included, please let me know and it would be my honor to add them. I welcome any and all info on any of my memorials and am always happy to transfer your kin folk. If you visit the memorial of any of these brave men, please honor them in any way you see fit. Whether or not you believe their cause was just, does not matter. What matters is that men from both sides fought and died protecting the only way of life they had ever known. "Alas! In how many Southern homes aching hearts waited through weary months for news of loved ones that never came until the suspense was replaced by the real certainty that the absent one had helped to swell the unknown dead of the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, or the Devil's Den of a Northern land."--J. Howard Wert. Sometimes I come home from work with a sore back or tired feet or maybe even a headache. Then I think of a 18 year old boy lying wounded in a dark field. He's hundreds of miles from home. He's thirsty,hungry and cold. He's crying for his Mama. Or I think of Robert and Sarah Milling, of Dallas County, who lost their five sons to the Confederate cause in the 20th Alabama Infantry. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad afterall.
I have a message to Findagrave:
I've spent hundreds if not thousands of hours searching for and researching the burial sites of civil war soldiers. These include both Union and Confederate. I add flags to the memorials of these brave men for two reasons. First and foremost is to honor their service. Secondly, this is how I know if I have included them on my virtual cemeteries and no further research is needed. Findagrave has taken it on themselves to remove my Confederate flags from as many memorials as they can and replace them with a ragweed called a "forget me not". To some, the Confederate flag, is a symbol of racism and hatred. I am neither a racist or a hater. If one took the time to study history, they would know that the greatest majority of young men who fought under that flag never owned a slave. If you have a relative who fought under that flag, you are most likely proud. That certainly does not make you a racist. If your folks fought under that flag, please make your feelings known to Findagrave. You have that right under our constitution.
To Findagrave, I delete your ragweed at every opportunity and replace it with the flag my ancestors fought and died under as well as the ancestors of countless other Findagrave contributors. If you have the time to waste your resources so be it. I'll be here all day.

I am a retired Huntsville Alabama Police Officer. I have been a student of local history for many years. My main interests lie in Alabama Civil War Units. One of the saddest things about the Civil War was that so many young men left home and were never heard from again. Their families never knew how or where they died or where they were buried. Thanks to the work of many Findagrave contributors, I have reunited many of these brave men,if only in a virtual cemetery. These cemeteries are a constant work in progress and a tedious undertaking. If you have a relative that has not yet been included, please let me know and it would be my honor to add them. I welcome any and all info on any of my memorials and am always happy to transfer your kin folk. If you visit the memorial of any of these brave men, please honor them in any way you see fit. Whether or not you believe their cause was just, does not matter. What matters is that men from both sides fought and died protecting the only way of life they had ever known. "Alas! In how many Southern homes aching hearts waited through weary months for news of loved ones that never came until the suspense was replaced by the real certainty that the absent one had helped to swell the unknown dead of the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, or the Devil's Den of a Northern land."--J. Howard Wert. Sometimes I come home from work with a sore back or tired feet or maybe even a headache. Then I think of a 18 year old boy lying wounded in a dark field. He's hundreds of miles from home. He's thirsty,hungry and cold. He's crying for his Mama. Or I think of Robert and Sarah Milling, of Dallas County, who lost their five sons to the Confederate cause in the 20th Alabama Infantry. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad afterall.
I have a message to Findagrave:
I've spent hundreds if not thousands of hours searching for and researching the burial sites of civil war soldiers. These include both Union and Confederate. I add flags to the memorials of these brave men for two reasons. First and foremost is to honor their service. Secondly, this is how I know if I have included them on my virtual cemeteries and no further research is needed. Findagrave has taken it on themselves to remove my Confederate flags from as many memorials as they can and replace them with a ragweed called a "forget me not". To some, the Confederate flag, is a symbol of racism and hatred. I am neither a racist or a hater. If one took the time to study history, they would know that the greatest majority of young men who fought under that flag never owned a slave. If you have a relative who fought under that flag, you are most likely proud. That certainly does not make you a racist. If your folks fought under that flag, please make your feelings known to Findagrave. You have that right under our constitution.
To Findagrave, I delete your ragweed at every opportunity and replace it with the flag my ancestors fought and died under as well as the ancestors of countless other Findagrave contributors. If you have the time to waste your resources so be it. I'll be here all day.