American Legion Post 233 in Loganville. Contributed photo
Many of those who fought came home from service to family and a new life. Others were not so lucky and died on the battlefield, giving the supreme sacrifice to save not only their comrades but fighting to the death for what they believed in.
Monroe has a long roster of those who proudly served and one such name stands out for youthful gallantry and bravery in front of the enemy. His name was Matthew Talbot Nunnally.
Matt was born on March 18, 1839 in Monroe to William Branch Nunnally and Mary Hale Talbot. At age 20, he attended West Point Military Academy. In 1861 he resigned his commission and accepted a command of Captain, Company H, 11th Georgia Regiment Voluntary Infantry on July 3rd. He was killed on July, 2, 1863 on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the age of 24 His body was buried in an unmarked grave at Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was the only Walton County Captain killed in the War Between the States.
In Monroe’s Rest Haven Cemetery one of the most visible and beautiful monuments is testimony by the
family to a courageous, dedicated young man who hailed from Monroe to lead an exemplary life not only as a civilian but as a soldier as well.
In one of the oldest parts of Rest Haven, high on a pedestal, is the life-sized marble likeness of Confederate Captain Matthew Talbot Nunnally, standing at attention, facing southward. His sword is sheathed, and symbolically, though, probably though an accident, it is also broken. Even though his military duty came to an abrupt end on the second day of the Gettysburg battle, one hundred and sixty one years later his life and the story behind this monument still inspires. The four sides of the monuments shaft provide much background data.
The south surface tells of his birth on March 18, 1839, his days as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, his resignation and return home when succession came, being chosen a leader of the county’s second company of volunteers, the Walton Infantry.
The east side of the shaft we find the words of Major Henry D. Mc- Daniel, who witnessed young Matthew’s death. Part of the narrative says, “A young man of fine presence and talents, of high purpose and courage, of genial nature and devotion to his profession, his years of training at West Point fitted him to become a model soldier. He was rigid but kindly in discipline, unremitting in attention to duty and mindful of the safety and comfort of his command, always cheerful, sharing hardships and dangers. He was lamented by all who knew him and by none so much as the men of his company who had learned to respect, admire and love him.”
The north side of the shaft reads, “A tribute of loving remembrance from Mary Nunnally Sandidge to the memory of her brother whose young career was brief, brave and glorious.”
Wanting to perpetuate her brother’s memory in unique fashion, Mrs. Sandidge sent a photo of her brother to Italy where the marble figure was authentically fashioned and placed on the monument also carved by the craftsmen of the time.
The fourth side of the monument’s shaft, lighted by the setting sun, features a Confederate flag along with the words: “Its flame on brightest pages, penned by poets and by sages, shall go sounding down the ages, furl its folds though now we must.”
Another Walton County native, Eugenius C. Arnold, stepped into the role of captain when Matt Nunnally died and was followed by James W. Morrow. One of the last letters Captain Nunnally sent to his sister and her husband, six months before losing his life in the battle, reads as a long heart to heart talk. It describes his candid opinions and conclusions and describes in detail his and the Walton Infantry’s participation in some of the war’s most historic battles.
Mention of Captain Nunnally’s life and military career are related in Anita Butts Sams’ book, “With Unabated Trust: Major Henry McDaniel’s Love Letters from Confederate Battlefields as Treasured in Hester McDaniel’s Bonnet Box.”
Monroe and Walton County owe a great debt to Mary Nunnally Sandidge and her family in honoring her brother and his courageous actions in such a way which continues to garner respect and admiration long after the last rounds of shots were fired on the grounds of that field in Gettysburg one hundred and sixty one years ago.
The poet Joanna Fuchs penned the endearing poem given below:
“The Noble and the Brave – A Veteran’s Day Tribute”
“When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand.
They left their friends and family;
They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife.
They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars.
Other veterans answered a call
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought.
We salute every one of them
The noble and the brave.
The ones still with us today,
And those who rest in a grave.
So here’s to our country’s heroes,
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best.”
The full Veterans Day Tribute is available in The Walton Tribune’s weekend issue in news stands around the county until Tuesday and thereafter at the Tribune’s offices in Monroe.
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