Our dear friends in England and Europe are working hard to locate the graves of our Confederates and their families. Many thanks are due to Bob Jones of Liverpool for this valuable addition to our history. Bob and others have blazed a Confederate Heritage Trail across that great city, home of the CSS Alabama. Like all of us, these folks study, record and even fight for our flag in England, all with only a "thank you" as their reward. Unfortunately, even the British have become bigoted against our flag, as I have learned from our friends in England.
Below are excerpts from Bob Jones' e-mails:
. . .Did I ever mention to you that the grave of the first wife of Captain John Low, CSN, was located last year by John Hussey? It seems that everyone thought that she had died in Savannah in 1864, but I have a copy of her death certificate and she died in 6 Elizabeth Street with John Low in attendance. It would appear that she had read in the papers of the sinking of the CSS Alabama on 19 June 1864, and she knew her husband was on that vessel from the time she sailed out of the river Mersey. She was not, however, aware of the fact hat he had been put in command of the CSS Tuscaloosa until she was later seized by the authorities in South Africa. John returned eventually to England but in her haste to find out what had happened to him, she immediately ran the blockade to get to Liverpool. Low was not listed on any of the reports of those killed, drowned, missing or injured and in hospital, or those rescued. She must have been frantic with worry, and on arriving in Liverpool she would have made straight for the offices in Rumford Place, where she would have probably met John standing large as life.
As I say she was living at 6 Elizabeth Street which is at the junction of Pembroke Street and Crown Street which is at the back of the New Royal Hospital in Liverpool. Mary Elizabeth Low died 20 November 1864, having arrived in Liverpool in early August 1864. I have attached the death certificate to show the cause of death.
Credit for finding Mary Elizabeth's grave must go to John Hussey, as he was looking for the grave of a British sea captain and noticed this grave of Mary Low and took a photo of it for me. He was on Radio Merseyside his morning talking about his book Cruisers, Cotton and Confederates. John did a lot of hard work on the graves of Irvine Stephens and James Dunwoody Bulloch prior to the re-dedication of Irvin's grave last 18 July.
I have added some shots of John placing a Georgia flag on the Wyly children's grave, sitting in the Liver Hotel under the Battle flag on the wall and with other items linking this establishment with the Confederacy, and working hard to plant the Southern Cross of Honour to the Bulloch Brothers as well as helping to clean up James' headstone. The blue primulas were planted on Mary Low's grave by John last year, and they have survived the harsh winter and flowered this year.
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