By Pat Atchison
Memorial Day is a day to honor all those who have passed away and to pay tribute to those who have defended the United States against aggressors. Many stories surround the origin of Memorial Day or "Decoration Day" as it was originally called. Residents of several Southern states observed such an occasion before the end of the hostilities of the Civil War. It is said that several young ladies in Mississippi took spring flowers to the cemetery to decorate the graves of fallen Confederate soldiers. They decorated the graves and then noticed that the Union soldiers' graves were bare.
They picked more flowers and decorated the Union graves in a gesture that offered the promise of reconciliation for a deeply divided nation. As the word spread, the people of the nation began to come together to mourn both the "Blue and Grey."
Decoration Day was just that: a day to decorate the graves of loved ones lost in battle. By the 1880's, people began calling the day "Memorial Day." That was not the official name until well into the twentieth century. At that time, the day became one to remember not only the dead from the Civil War, but from all wars, as well as all others who had passed away. The first mention in Prescott's local newspaper of Decoration Day was in 1881. The Arizona Weekly Miner states, "Next Monday will be Decoration Day, and it is to be generally observed in the States."
William Henry Harrison McCall served in the Union Army during the Civil War. McCall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania about 1840. Nothing is known about his life until he began service in Company D 5th Regiment in the Pennsylvania Reserves on June 12, 1861. During the course of three years, he moved up through the ranks from Sergeant, to 1st Sergeant, to Sergeant Major, to 2nd Lieutenant, and finally to Captain.
When the Civil War broke out, he enrolled at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the Union Army on September 3, 1864, as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was assigned to the 200th Pennsylvania Infantry. At that time he was twenty-three years old. Records from the Pennsylvania State Archives report his physical appearance at the time of his enrollment to be: height: 5'9"; complexion: fair; hair: light, and eyes: brown. He was living in Philadelphia at that time and listed his occupation as lumberman. He continued to serve his country well during many Civil War battles. In March 1865, he was given the rank of Brevet Colonel ("A commission giving a military officer higher nominal rank than that for which he receives pay.") for "coolness, bravery and skill at Ft. Steedman, Virginia." In April 1865 he was awarded the rank of Brevet Brigadier General "for valuable and meritorious service in the assault in front of Ft. Sedgwick, Virginia." He was honorably mustered out on July 14, 1865.
Nothing is known of him until Prescott records show that he married Mary L. Wilson on September 18, 1878. Two children, Joseph Hooker McCall (b. August 7, 1879) and Georgie Edith McCall (b. March 9, 1882) were born in Prescott to that union. According to the 1880 Census, William was serving as a miner.
Sadly, on September 22, 1882, Williams' wife, Mary, passed away in Prescott. No mention of her burial place has been found. On May 30, 1883, William was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital (later called Mercy Hospital). At that time, St. Joseph's Hospital had the contract for taking care of the indigent sick of Yavapai County. Dr. F. K. Ainsworth was his physician. McCall passed away at the hospital on June 13, 1883. His obituary, which appeared in the Prescott Weekly Courier on June 16, 1883, stated, "The successes which marked his earlier career were denied him in his later life...."
The McCall's two young children were then cared for by their maternal grandmother, Maria L. Wilson, guardian. The family continued to live in Prescott for a time. By November 1891, the family was living in Globe, Gila County, Arizona.
W.H.H. McCall was interred at Citizens Cemetery in Prescott. According to the Phoenix Herald, June 17, 1885, his grave was unmarked. It is now marked with a military gravestone in honor of his service to his country.
There will be two Memorial Day Observances held in Prescott this year. One will be held today at 1:00 P.M., at the Veterans Cemetery. The other will be held at historic Citizens Cemetery (on Sheldon Street) at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, Monday, May 31. All are invited to attend these observances held to honor those who served in the military, and at Citizens Cemetery, to also honor the pioneers who formed Yavapai County.
Pat Atchison is Chairperson of Yavapai Cemetery Association.
Our readers' thoughts...
In 1867, McCall was at Fort Harker, Kansas. In August of 1868, he signed on with the Forsyth Scouts and on September 17, 1868, was with the scouts when they were attacked by Roman Nose's warriors at the Battle of Beecher Island, Colorado Territory, where he was wounded. When the forsyth Scouts were disbanded, he joined the Pepoon Scouts for a short time . As late as 1869, he was living in Hays, Kansas. In 1873, he was at Fort Sill and in 1881, we was working as a courier at Whipple Depot, AZ. From "Fifty Fearless men" by Orvel A. Criqui, 1993.
Anonymous
September 25, 2007
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (c101pe). Reuse only by permission.
A 1980 photograph of Citizen's Cemetery along Sheldon Street. It would be worth some time to browse the old headstones. See if you can find the grave of W.H.H.McCall.