Memorial Day Tribute by a Timeshare Writer

Memorial Day should remind all of us that the cost of freedom is high. When you see a national cemetery covered with a blanket of crosses and Stars of David you can find comfort in knowing that those who paid the ultimate price are remembered on this day.

In my own family, of all those who served their nation in the military I’d like to mention this one who was killed in action. Martin Deaton. A native of Tennessee, he traveled with his father Littleberry Deaton to Illinois to join the Union Army. Details of their story can be found in the text of “Eleven Months of Exile Life in Southern Illinios“.

Martin Deaton, along with thousands of other soldiers, endured sickness, hunger, sleeping in the snow, and countless miserable circumstances – not the least of which were the horrors of the Civil War.  Martin died in battle at Ft Donaldson TN.  Here’s the letter sent by the Union Army to Martin’s father:
On 2-21-1862, Daniel W. Finch, 1st Lt., Co. “E” 18th Reg, wrote the following
letter to the “Rev. L.D. Deaton”:
“Sir:
It grieves me to relate to you the scene of this terrible battle.
But I feel it my duty to say to you that your son fell dead while bravely
fighting for his country, and when we lost him, we lost one of our bravest and
best boys. Ten of my company fell dead on the field. Your son was wounded in
the beginning of the action, but remained fighting until he received his death
wound. We buried our dead, as decently as we could, on the battlefield. You
can comfort yourself in your old age knowing that he died bravely. No more at
the present.
Very respectfully yours,
Daniel W. Finch
1st Lt. Co. ‘E’ 18th Ill Reg.”

While my own family has been spared the grief of the loss of loved ones in war in recent generations, thousands of others have not. Today I pay tribute to the loved ones of those who have fallen in battle. Your sacrifice must never be forgotten.

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