Description: This image shows an obelisk of rusticated blocks topped by a figure of a soldier.
Historical Note: Bethel Cemetery was begun in 1859 when Knox County acquired two acres fro use as a graveyard. In September 1861 the first Confederates were buried there and the cemetery was enlarged in 1862 when two additional acres were acquired from Joseph A. Mabry, Jr. By the time that Confederate forces evacuated Knoxville in August 1863, a total of 1465 identified Confederates were buried there. After the Battle of Fort Sanders, 105 Confederate bodies which had temporarily been buried in shallow graves on the battlefield were re-interred at Bethel by Caledonia Johnson, a freed slave. On May 13, 1868, the Ladies Memorial Association of Knoxville was established to care for the graves. Artist Lloyd Branson, one of the most respected painters of 19th century Knoxville, was commissioned by the Ladies Memorial Association to design this monument around 1882. The monument was carved in Tennessee gray marble by a former Union soldier of the 143rd New York Infantry, George Hoyle Whitaker. It depicts a northward-facing soldier at "parade rest: position. Many Confederate cemeteries and monuments were funded and cared for by women's organizations since federal funds could only be used for national cemeteries. Today the cemetery is part of the Hazen Historical Museum Foundation.
Contributing Institution: Mabry Hazen House
Rights: Images reproduced on this website are intended for individual, educational use only. For research inquiries about specific objects or requests for high resolution images, contact the Mabry Hazen House, http://www.mabryhazen.com/Mabry-Hazen_House/Bethel_Cemetery.html.
Digital Publisher: Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
