Col. Henry “Harry” Burgwyn Monument, Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh
The granite monument to Colonel Henry “Harry” Burgwyn, Jr. who was killed July 1, 1863 at
Gettysburg is the largest in the Confederate section of Oakwood Cemetery. It consists of a triple
base with a flat topped obelisk style shaft on top. The shaft is adorned with a wreath
surrounding a sheathed scabbard on the north face. The upper base section contains
inscriptions on three sides. In relief on the north face is the Burgwyn family crest and family
moto “Semper Fidelis." The south face inscription was the only one present when the
monument when erected at the grave by his parents. In 1913 his brother William Hyslot
Sumner Burgwyn, was buried at his side. An inscription to William was then added on the east
face. The west face inscription is in honor of William H.S. Burgwyn’s wife who had remarried
and died in 1941. She is not buried at this location. The graves lie on the east side. At the foot of
the graves are markers with the initials of the two brothers. The foot of Henry Burgwyn’s grave
has two additional granite makers and a bronze Confederate Cross of Honor.
Images:
North side |
South side |
East inscription |
West inscription |
South face inscription |
Foot marker 1 |
Foot marker 2 |
Foot marker 3 |
Family Crest |
Monuments to Col. McLeod Turner, Col. Burgwyn and Randolph Shotwel
South Face: HENRY KING BURGWYN, JR. / COL'N 26TH REGT. N.C.T. / FELL AT GETTYSBURG JULY
1, 1863 / AGED 22 YEARS / THE LORD GAVE / AND / THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY.
East Face: WILLIAM HYSLOT SUMNER BURGWYN / BORN JULY 23, 1845, / JANUARY 3, 1913 /
CHRISTIAN, PATRIOT, SCHOLAR / CAPT. OF COMPANY H 35TH REG. RANSOM’S BRIGADE IN 1864.
/ LATER ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL OF CLINGMAN’S BRIGADE / COL. OF THE 5TH
MARYLAND REGIMENT IN 188O. / COL. 2ND REG. N.C. VOLS. IN THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
1898. / AND NOW ABIDE FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, THESE THREE, / BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE
IS CHARITY.
West Face: MARGARET CARLISLE DUNLOP / BELOVED WIFE OF / WM. H.S. BUGWYN / BORN
AUGUST 4, 1848 / DIED JANUARY 23, 1941 / FRIEND TO THE FRIENDLESS / A MOTHER TO THE
MOTHERLESS, / SHE GAVE HER LIFE TO OTHERS / AND HER HEART TO GOD.
Foot of Grave #1: HENRY KING BURGWYN, JR. / COL. 26 NC STATE TROOP / CONFEDERATE
STATES ARMY
Foot of Grave #2: YOUNGEST / COLONEL / IN ARMY / KILLED AT / GETTYSBURG / CARRYING
FLAG / OF 26TH NC INF
Oakwood Cemetery
Some time in between June 9, 1867 and 1876
35.784860 , -78.627480 View in Geobrowse
Historic Oakwood Cemetery, http://historicoakwoodcemetery.org (accessed May 19, 2021) Link
Sheppard, Anita Ann. “Burgwyn, William Hyslop Sumner,” NCPedia.org, (accessed October 25, 2015) Link
Wilson, Clyde. “Burgwyn, Henry ("Harry") King, Jr.,” NCPedia.org, (accessed October 16, 2015) Link
“Henry King Burgwyn, Jr.,” Find A Grave, (accessed October 25, 2015) Link
“Orsequies Of The Late Col. Burgwyn,” The Raleigh Sentinel (Raleigh, NC), June 10, 1867, 3
“State News,” The Daily Journal (Wilmington, NC), June 13, 1867, 3
“The Late Col. H.K. Burgwyn, Jr.” The Daily Journal (Wilmington, NC), June 9, 1867, 3
“Under The Stars And Bars,” The Morning Post (Raleigh, NC), March 22, 1903, 13
Yes
Granite
The parents of Burgwyn paid for the monument
Henry “Harry” Burgwyn was known as the “Boy Colonel of the Confederacy” and the youngest
or one of the youngest colonels in the Confederate Army at the time of his death at Gettysburg
in 1863. Burgwyn commanded the 26th Regiment of NC Troops during the battle which resulted
in the death and wounding of 588 of 800 men. This is thought to be the highest casualty rate for
a single regiment in a single day for either side during the war.
Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in North Carolina's capital, Raleigh, near the North Carolina State Capitol in the city's Historic Oakwood neighborhood. Annual Confederate Memorial Day services are held at the Oakwood Cemetery each May.
The memorial is located in Historic Oakwood Cemetery, at 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27601, in the Confederate section. The Memorial Arch, House of Memory, Confederate Monument, Memorial Wall, Gettysburg Memorial, Colonel McLeod Turner Monument, General George Anderson Monument, CSS H.L. Hunley Submarine Memorial, Randolph Shotwell Memorial, Arlington Dead Marker and the Civil War Sesquicentennial Marker stand in the same section of the Oakwood Cemetery. Outside the Confederate section are memorials to Worth Bagley and William Ruffin Cox.
The memorial is surrounded by grave markers and monuments.
Yes
The Oakwood Cemetery continues to serve for Confederate Memorial Services each Memorial Day.