LISA HOBBS - News Editor
McMinnville officials will be considering a request to allow a 6-foot-tall monument to be placed at its Old City Cemetery.
The memorial would honor the men of the 35th Tennessee Infantry and their commander, Brigadier General Benjamin J. Hill, known as “The Lion of Ben Lonmond.”
Hill was born in McMinnville, the son of Isaac Hill III and Frances (Pickett) Hill. He grew up on a farm, lost his father at the age of 9, and later attended and graduated from Irving College.
Before the Civil War, Hill was a successful merchant, proprietor of the Warren House Hotel in McMinnville, and he served in the Tennessee State Senate from 1855 until 1861.
When the Civil War broke out, Hill joined the Confederacy as colonel of the 5th Tennessee Volunteers, later redesignated the 35th Tennessee Infantry. He served under Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne at the Battle of Shiloh (1862) and commanded Cleburne’s brigade during the Kentucky Campaign.
Hill died in McMinnville on Jan. 5, 1880, at the age of 54. He is buried in the Old City Cemetery.
Making the request is Lucas Holt. In a letter to city elected officials, he states that the monument is a way to honor the men who served their country.
“The monument I am proposing is intended to be a dignified memorial to the men who served, fought, and, in some cases, lost their lives during the Civil War. The proposed monument would include historically appropriate inscriptions describing the regiment’s service and the campaigns in which these men participated, including Shiloh, Corinth, Richmond, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville campaigns.
“My purpose in requesting this monument is not to make a political statement or to glorify war. It is to preserve and interpret a part of McMinnville and Warren County’s history.
Old City Cemetery is an important historic place in our community. People who lived through some of the most important periods in our local history are buried there. I believe a carefully designed monument, placed appropriately and accompanied by historically accurate information, can help future generations understand that history rather than allowing it to be forgotten.
“I also understand that Old City Cemetery is a historic cemetery, and I want to be respectful of that responsibility. I am willing to work with the city on the exact location, size, foundation, materials, installation, and any other requirements the city believes are necessary. I am also prepared to provide the Board with the proposed design, inscription, historical documentation, and information about the monument’s construction. The monument would be privately funded, and I am willing to take responsibility for seeing that it is professionally constructed and maintained in a manner appropriate for the cemetery.”
Holt says the above picture is what he believes the monument will look like.
A joint meeting of the McMinnville Parks and Recreation Committee and the McMinnville Building and Grounds Committee is slated for 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to consider the request. Meetings are held at city hall on Main Street.