Don Miller, an expert with over 30 years of fieldwork experience, is trying to solve a long-forgotten piece of Civil War history.
In Southgate’s Evergreen Cemetery, four iron cannons stand guard over the resting spot of dozens of veterans from America’s bloodiest war. Questions surrounding these silent sentinels have intrigued Miller enough that he decided to make them his next project.
Evergreen Cemetery, established in the 1840s, is a place steeped in history.
Flanking the gazebo on the grounds of Evergreen is Shaler’s Battery, one of the best-preserved Civil War earthworks in Kentucky, Miller said.
Buried among the trees and hills of the 250-acre cemetery are many notable names including James Taylor Jr., the founder of Newport, Congressman Brent Spence and two Medal of Honor winners.
One of these distinguished veterans, William H. Horsfall, was just 14-years-old when he signed up as a drummer in the Union regiment, the 1st Kentucky Infantry during the Civil War. He received his Medal of Honor at 15 for risking his life to save a wounded officer during fighting at Corinth, Mississippi, according to a historical marker at the cemetery.