The Angel of Marye's Heights

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man

lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Monument to Richard Kirkland
Fredericksburg, Virginia

(1965)

Felix de Weldon
(1907-2003)
Austrian-born American sculptor

Gone But Not Forgotten...

Known for his compassion in the heat of battle, Sergeant

Richard Rowland Kirkland was born in Flat Rock, South Carolina

in August, 1843.  During the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg, Kirkland, 

 a soldier serving with the South, risked his life by carrying canteens 

 of water, clothing, and blankets to grievously wounded men from

 both the Union and Confederate armies lying on the battlefield.

Although it is reported that his actions were being closely

  observed by both sides at the time, no one protested or fired a shot

at the man who was later named, "The Angel of Marye's Heights".

Richard Kirkland died during the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.

He was buried in the Old Quaker Cemetery in Camden, South Carolina.

In 1965, sculptor Felix de Weldon unveiled a statute in front of

the stone wall at the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg in Kirkland's honor.

Twelve years later in 1977, the Sons of Confederate Veterans

 posthumously awarded this courageous warrior

 the Confederate Medal of Honor.