Thousands of Civil War casualties brought grieving families to their loved one's gravesite. The custom of a special memorial day celebration has been claimed by at least two dozen southern areas. Only the state of Virginia's Confederate Memorial Day coincides with America's traditional Memorial Day. Other states consider days from January through June as Confederate Memorial Day. Southern women's groups were decorating graves before the Civil War's end, but most spontaneous and planned gatherings, to honor the dead, began in 1866. This special day is part of the healing process, a reconciliation and coming together to honor those who gave their all.
Pictured here is a special section for the Confederate dead, part of the Natchez City Cemetery established in 1822. People from all walks of life are buried here at this ten acre tract.