A Union Soldier with a Confederate Flag

I spent some time last night walking through Cowpen Pond Cemetery, where many of my ancestors are buried, and found this to be of interest.

The grave is the final resting place of "H.W." Neel (also given as "W.H. Neel"), a Civil War soldier, and someone placed a Confederate flag by his headstone. This is commonly done to honor Confederate soldiers at cemeteries across the South.

Neel, however, was not a Confederate at the end of the war. In fact, he was fighting for the other side.

According to his service record, Neel enlisted in Company D of the 1st Florida U.S. Cavalry, a Union regiment, near the end of the war. Born in 1847, he was 18 years old when he joined the Union army at Pensacola in March of 1865.

Formerly a soldier in Company E of the 5th Florida Cavalry (Confederate), Neel deserted near the end of the war and made his way to Pensacola where he enlisted in the Union Army. He left the Union regiment in August of 1865, after the end of the war.

His story was actually more common than many realize today. By the end of the war, many Confederate soldiers realized that the "Cause" had been lost. They were also irate over the fact that Confederate commissary agents were roaming through the country taking livestock and other food supplies, often at gunpoint, from families that were near starvation themselves. Hundreds of men from Florida deserted during the last year of the war and joined the Union side because they believed the Confederate agents were mistreating Southern civilians.

Governor John Milton, also from Jackson County, wrote numerous protests to Richmond about the treatment of civilians in his state, but they largely fell on deaf ears. He stated on several occasions that many loyal Floridians felt their families were being treated worse by Confederate commissary agents than by the Union army.

Photographic Tombstones at Cowpen Pond

In my various travels around the country, Florida is one of the few places I have ever encountered the practice of placing photographs of a loved one under glass on their tombstone.

This nicely restored tombstone is that of Mallissie Neel, who passed away on September 20, 1930. It is one of several photographic tombstones located at Jackson County's historic Cowpen Pond Cemetery near Dellwood.

This practice seems to have begun during the late 1800s and continued well into the 20th century. It is rarely done today, but quite often tombstones bearing photographs can be found in cemeteries dating from this era. The ones at Cowpen Pond, however, are maintained with the most love and care that I have seen.

Historic Cowpen Pond Cemetery

I spent some time yesterday visiting the graves of ancestors at Cowpen Pond Cemetery near Dellwood (a few miles south of Two Egg). I was struck once again by what a beauty and peacefulness of this historic cemetery.

Many of Jackson County's earliest settlers are buried here and marked graves date back to the mid-1800s.

Cowpen Pond was a major gathering place for the early settlers of eastern Jackson County. Residents came here for gatherings, political meetings and even militia musters. In the early days of Florida, all male citizens were required to participate in the state militia (today's National Guard) and they gathered regularly to drill and enjoy each other's company.

In 1864, the meeting grounds at Cowpen Pond were selected as the muster point for Captain George Robinson's Company of the Florida Home Guard. This company (sometimes confused with Captain Henry Robinson's Greenwood Club Cavalry) began meeting at Cowpen Pond during the late summer of 1864 and included men from all over eastern Jackson County. A few men from the unit participated in the Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864, and one was wounded, but most did not reach town in time to take part in the fight.

The cemetery contains the graves of many members of Robinson's company, as well as numerous other soldiers from many different wars.

To reach the historic cemetery, take State Highway 69 south from Two Egg through Dellwood and turn left onto Butler Road south of Dellwood. Watch for the Cowpen Pond Cemetery Road on your right.

I'll post more about Cowpen Pond and some of the important early citizens buried there over coming days.