John Cothern

Confederates of Elmwood John Cothern

Elmwood Cemetery was established in 1852, making it the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Amongst its 70,000 burials are more than 1,300 Confederate soldiers and veterans (including twenty-four generals). The majority of the burials are concentrated in a section known as the Confederate Soldiers Rest, but many others are interred throughout the cemetery. Several Union veterans are also buried here.
The purpose of this expanded edition is to update and make corrections to the original 2001 edition and add new information and individual sketches. The updated and new information is from further research and information provided by many descendants and other researchers.
This compilation is intended as a resource for researching Confederate ancestors, drawing information from the burial records of Elmwood Cemetery and the compiled service records for those soldiers whose military units could be identified. Soldiers' entries are arranged alphabetically by surname, and include date of burial, lot/division number, plat number, and varying amounts of data related to their service. These extra remarks often include date of enlistment, regimental and company designation, date and cause of death, and the names of commanding officers. A plat (diagram) is included showing the placement of numbered graves within Confederate Soldiers Rest. A combined section, covering all soldiers and veterans, is organized by unit and regiment. The text is enhanced by a partial bibliography, a note on surname spelling variations, and a reprint of Ruby Hyden Flowers' poem, "Ballad of 1862."