Angel of Marye's Heights

For two days after the battle, wounded Union soldiers caught between the lines cried out for water as the Civil War's immense destruction and tragedy did not always engender hate. Although exposure to enemy fire even for a moment meant almost certain death, Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers filled several canteens and stepped over the stone wall to care for his wounded enemies. When Union soldiers understood his purpose, they stopped firing at him and cheered, and for nearly two hours he continued these ministrations. He afterward became known as the Angel of Marye's Heights and died in battle at Chickamauga, Georgia, in September 1863.

Fredericksburg, Virginia · United States