Welcome to Elm Springs C.S.A Lt. Simeon W. Cummings CSN |
Home |
Tour Elm Springs |
SCV HQ |
Join the SCV |
Contact HQ Staff |
Local Maury Co. History Lt. Simeon W. Cummings CSN | Battle of Columbia | Historic Links | Gen. Frank Crawford Armstrong C.S.A. Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home | Forrest Boyhood Home Fundraiser 2015 | Forrest Home 2009 Pics Forrest Home Pics | Elm Springs Christmas Tour 2007 Pics |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
The Confederate Sailor Who Wears the Yellow Ribbon By Warner D. Farr and Stan R. Lambrick Third engineer Simeon W. Cummings, C. S. Navy, was a native of New York born in 1827. He traveled to In a letter to the Confederate Secretary of the
Nave, S. R. Mallory, which is prefaced “New Orleans, May 23, 1861,”
Commander Raphael Semmes, C.S.N., writes: “Sir: In compliance with your order
of the 17th instant, I have the honor to enclose herewith a list of the officer of the C.S.S. Sumter… Engineers,…
Simeon W. Cummings, third assistant.” This letter contained in the Naval Official Records, announced the assignment
of Lieutenant Cummings to his first Confederate ship and the start of a long, as well as final, career. On In Captain James D. Bullock, the Confederacy’s
accomplished naval agent in The crew, deserving a welcome rest, provisioned,
repaired and refitted the ship. The captain allowed the Dutch settlers, the Boers
that the British had displaced northward, to come on bard to view the ship and the crew spent time sight-seeing and ostrich
hunting in the surrounding area. Commander Semmes’ last entries about Engineer
Cummings are in the C.S.S. Alabama’s journal, the first dated Monday, August3, 1863:
“Just as we were going to sundown quarters a boat come alongside with
the body of Third Assistant Engineer Cummings, who had accidentally shot himself with his gun.” Lieutenant Cummings, with other junior officers from the On Tuesday, August4, 1863, the captain’s
journal continues: “Weather very fine.
In the afternoon at 3 the funeral procession started for the shore with the body of the deceased engineer. He was taken to a private cemetery about a mile and a half distant and interred with the honors due to
his grade. The ship’s first lieutenant reading the funeral service. This is the first burial we have had from the ship.” Six of the This story does not end with the burial of Third
Lieutenant Cummings on a distant shore, far away from his Confederacy. A group
of British Naval officers, stationed at the south at Sacred to the memory of Simeon W. Cummings Assistant
Engineer of the Confederate States Steamer “ The Boer farmer, Mr. Pienaar, in whose family
cemetery the officer had been laid to rest, affectionately tended the grace over the years and passed this reverent concern
o to his descendants. His descendants say American visitors appear occasionally
to see the gravesite. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, in 1968, gave
award to Beatrix Pienarr, a descendant of Mr. Pienaar, who still “lovingly cares” for the grave and to Steven
Levin, who publicized the existence of the gravesite ad its need for repair and upkeep.
An award was also given to Frank Bradlow who wrote a book, published in the Union of South Africa, entitled: “Here comes the A letter to the editor in the March/April 19991
issue of Civil War Times Illustrated, by S.R. Lambrick, entitled “ Daar Kom
Die Alabama,” discussed the As can be seen in the photographs, the grave
is still well kept. It is located 7 kilometers (402 miles) from So, in the summer of 1992, as yellow ribbons
had welcomed American soldiers home from Irag and Saudi Arabia, one such yellow ribbon also waves in southern African breezes. Third Lieutenant Cummings may not have come home to the South, but his grave is still
well attended and appropriately decorated with a truly American symbol-the yellow ribbon.
HOME IS THE SAILOR By Perry J. Outlaw For the
past 131 years Lt. Simeon W. Cummings, CSN has had the distinction of being the only known Confederate serviceman to be killed
during the late War of Southern Independence and buried outside the On In keeping
with the American tradition of bringing our war dead home from the battlefield, it was decided by the Executive Council of
the Military Order of the Stars & Bars to enter into negotiations with the government, of the In January
of this year compatriot J. Street Brewer of On May 1st,
the Commander-in-Chief, authorized the Executive Director to travel to South Africa to effect the exhumation of Lt. Cummings,
and to take legal possession of his remains on behalf of the SCV and MOS&B. He
was also directed to secure a licensed funeral director and archaeologist to insure a complete and proper exhumation and to
escort his remains home to The exhumation of Lt. Cumming’s
grave began at On May
9th, with a South African Naval Honor Guard and pallbearers. Lt. Cummings was afforded full military honors in
a ceremony held at the international airport in Capetown. After the ceremony
the Honor Guard carried Lt. Cummings’ casket to the aircraft that would, after 131 years, bring him home to Lt. Cumming’s
remains were placed in the care of the Oaks & Nichols Funeral home in Re-enactors
from across the country began to assemble at Elm Springs, on Sunday May 29th, to participate in the 3.5 mile funeral
procession that would escort Lt. Cummings to Elm Springs. Confederate States
Marines consisting of the officers and men of company F of the 48th Tennessee Regiment of Infantry served as pallbearers
while units of the 48th, 34th, and 4th “Alabama, 5th and 6th Florida, 18th
Mississippi, 5th Missouri, Croft’s Battery and the Marion Light Artillery served as honor guars and escort. At The funeral
procession consisted of several hundred re-enactors both military and civilian as well as SCV and MOS&B national officers
and members from as far away as California and Michigan, Along the procession
route, local business owners had changed their company signs to read “Welcome Home Lt. Cummings, CSN.” Hundreds of citizens of
Lt. Cummings
was placed in the main hall, at Elm springs, with its black draped mirrors of mourning and numerous funeral wreaths. An Honor Guard stood watch over the casket, as hundreds of mourners passed in review. The following mourning
the Confederate Marine Honor Guard placed Lt. Cumming’ casket on the front steps of Elm Springs. With major TV and newspaper coverage, nearly 1,000 people had gathered for the 12:0 Between
those in attendance singing What a Friend We Have in Jesus and the playing of Amazing Grace, ON THE BAGPIPES, SCV Commander-in-Chief, Robert L. Hawkins, III, presented
a sketch, on the life of Lt. Simeon W. Cummings. At the conclusion of the funeral
address by MOS&B Chaplain General, Rev. John W. Killian, Captain James Coy Anderson called the Honor Guard to attention
and proceeded with Lt. Cummings’ casket-to the cemetery on the south lawn, of the General Headquarters. Dr. Charles Baker led the procession reading from the Episcopal Burial Service. As the Marine pallbearers
folded the Confederate Naval Ensign, a 21 gun artillery and musket salute was fired and Taps
sounded, as Lt. Cummings was slowly lowered to his final resting place. Concerning Lt. Cummings,
his shipmate, Lt. Arthur Sinclair wrote the following, Cummings, though of northern
birth, was an enthusiastic and faithful follower of the case he had espoused, and deserves more credit in that his determination
was taken and carried out in spite of the protest of his immediate family, resulting in his having their sympathy and love
withdrawn. Cummings was a most capable engineer officer, cool and collected in
hours of danger, a true friend…He served the flag of his adoption with all the ardor of his great soul, and our cause
and ship suffered a great loss in his sudden taking off. Confederate Veteran Magazine July/August 1994 Pgs. 12-13
|
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||