On this day, 2 years ago (December 13th, 2022), I exhumed the remains of my ancestor, Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill in Richmond, VA. When the city workers got down to the 3 large "cap stones" above his grave I stepped in. The first cap stone was removed by crane and I saw A.P. Hill's remains. The casket was completely deteriorated. So I asked the city workers to get me a tarp so I could cover his remains. Because the news vultures were trying to get photos. I also asked the workers to park their vehicles behind me which was where the news media was standing with their cameras, drooling for photos of his remains. I also had to make threats to get a man to stop flying a drone who also wanted pictures.
Once I felt that nobody would be able to take photos of A.P. Hill's remains, work continued. When the 3rd and final cap stone was lifted off of his grave, the sun came out. I placed the tarp over his remains, and I got teary eyed. I tried my best not to cry infront of everyone. I climbed down into his grave, and with the funeral home director we started placing his remains into a bodybag. I had the city workers hold the tarp up over his grave so nobody could get photos while I was distracted. I never thought in a million years that I would be handling the remains of a Confederate General. The only remains that were left of General Hill was his skull, rib bones, leg bones, and some other random small bones. The grave was stone lined, and had a couple inches of wet dirt that contained his DNA and bone fragments. So we shoveled those into the body bag as well. Within the dirt inside his grave, I found 3 pieces of his uniform, and 3 buttons. I put all of the items that I found in his grave into the bodybag with his remains. People tell me that I should've kept a button for a museum. Absolutely not, everything belonged to the General and I made sure those items stayed with him.
Once his remains were sealed into the bodybag, someone asked me if I would like the American Flag to drape over his remains. I said no, that is the flag that killed him. I asked for the Unreconstructed Virginia Flag. People are too afraid to speak up or even show up for our heritage. But not me, I would've died for A.P. Hill that day. We brought the General's remains to the funeral home and put him into a beautiful oak casket with a white lining. Me and the funeral home director draped another 3x5 Unreconstructed Virginia Flag on to his casket. I gave the General one last salute before I left the funeral home. General Hill was reinterred in his hometown of Culpeper, VA on January 21st, 2023. I was his Pallbearer at his Reinterment.
Once I felt that nobody would be able to take photos of A.P. Hill's remains, work continued. When the 3rd and final cap stone was lifted off of his grave, the sun came out. I placed the tarp over his remains, and I got teary eyed. I tried my best not to cry infront of everyone. I climbed down into his grave, and with the funeral home director we started placing his remains into a bodybag. I had the city workers hold the tarp up over his grave so nobody could get photos while I was distracted. I never thought in a million years that I would be handling the remains of a Confederate General. The only remains that were left of General Hill was his skull, rib bones, leg bones, and some other random small bones. The grave was stone lined, and had a couple inches of wet dirt that contained his DNA and bone fragments. So we shoveled those into the body bag as well. Within the dirt inside his grave, I found 3 pieces of his uniform, and 3 buttons. I put all of the items that I found in his grave into the bodybag with his remains. People tell me that I should've kept a button for a museum. Absolutely not, everything belonged to the General and I made sure those items stayed with him.
Once his remains were sealed into the bodybag, someone asked me if I would like the American Flag to drape over his remains. I said no, that is the flag that killed him. I asked for the Unreconstructed Virginia Flag. People are too afraid to speak up or even show up for our heritage. But not me, I would've died for A.P. Hill that day. We brought the General's remains to the funeral home and put him into a beautiful oak casket with a white lining. Me and the funeral home director draped another 3x5 Unreconstructed Virginia Flag on to his casket. I gave the General one last salute before I left the funeral home. General Hill was reinterred in his hometown of Culpeper, VA on January 21st, 2023. I was his Pallbearer at his Reinterment.
These are the gloves that I used to exhume Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill's remains on December 13th, 2022 in Richmond, VA. They have his DNA on them. These gloves are our closest link to the Confederacy. They touched the bones of a Confederate General, and they were in the dirt placed by Confederate Veterans. These are our link to the past. To a time when Richmond still honored our gallant Southern heroes, and our heritage was loved. These gloves mean the world to me.
Here's my article about the court battle with Richmond and everything that happened.
amren.com/features/2023/…
amren.com/features/2023/…
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