Civil War Tour

To observe Independence Day this year, I’m reporting on the Civil War section of the Mountain View Cemetery in the Oakland Hills (see Honored Dead, for a past report). I realize there is quite a gap between the Revolution and the Civil War, but I’m short on Revolution-era cemeteries here in the East Bay! The Civil War memorial has been undergoing restoration over the last few years, and I wanted to see the progress. On the Memorial Day weekend, I took the Civil War tour given by Dennis Evanosky, author of Mountain View Cemetery, and a driving force behind the restoration project.



Newly renovated Civil War Memorial

Evanosky took us all over the cemetery, telling fascinating stories as we visited the graves of Confederates and Union sympathizers alike. Most came to Oakland after the Civil War; some came to escape it; others came to promote one view or the other.  Evanosky described the restoration process of the Civil War section. The team used a tiny plot map and cemetery records to identify who is buried where. They cleaned up the site, replaced missing or dilapidated headstones, and relocated some veterans into the main plot. They replaced the necklace of cannon balls with an attractive low stone fence, and had the post-Civil War era howitzer cannons and cannon wheels restored.

Obediah Summers - born a slave; fought in his masters place; joined the Union army when captured. Later became a minister in Oakland.	Cornelius Mahoney - Colored Infantry
Post-Civil War howitzer cannon	Restored wheel
Annie Glud - drummer girl from the South joined the Union army with her father	Good and brave soldier from Ohio who later settled in Oakland

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When I visited, the grass was still green from recent rains, and the trees were flourishing. The Civil War memorial looks fantastic. I love that the Union soldiers (both black and white) are buried under a southern Magnolia tree. Apparently one Confederate, who was the friend of one of the Union soldiers, is also buried in the plot. I do miss the ring of cannon balls. In 1897, 750 cannon balls surrounded the plot; by 2014, only 20 remained. They had disappeared over the years due to vandalism. (According to Evanosky, a 10 pound cannonball launched from a howitzer in Oakland Cemetery could hit Angel Island). I recommend the Civil War Tour at Mountain View for the interesting history, and the beautiful park-like setting. The Civil War memorial is a good reminder that pursuit of freedom and independence is an ongoing endeavor.

American flag at the Mountain View Cemetery