In honor of service

The descendants of Confederate Army 1st Lt. Thomas R. Alexander—whose family cemetery is in the Montclair community—along with friends and dignitaries, gathered recently for a ceremony to officially honor the installation of his Confederate Iron Cross Grave marker.

The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant for those who served honorably in the Confederate Army. In 1898, the United Daughters of the Confederacy decided to continue the tradition and again issue the medal to any Confederate soldier who provided "loyal, honorable service to the South and given in recognition of this devotion."

The marker is a way for the survivors and families of deceased Confederate soldiers to honor their ancestors' service.

Thomas was born June 6, 1825, in Saratoga, N.Y. In 1846, he migrated as a dairy farmer to Prince William County to a 200-acre farm.

The farm was located on property that is present-day Afton Court in Montclair encompassing land now bordering Lake Montclair to Minnieville Road.

When the Civil War broke out, Alexander, like many of his neighbors, decided to stand and defend his homeland. On Aug. 24, 1861, he enlisted as a private. On Aug. 3, 1863, he was promoted to first lieutenant and released from service later that year, according to information compiled by Alexander's ancestors to include Ronald Gordon and Sandy Alexander Anderson, along with Bill Riski, of the Montclair History Committee.

After his release, on a clandestine visit to the Union-held Prince William County in December, Alexander was arrested "as a dangerous and disloyal person." His name had found its way onto a spy exchange list about a year later but he died soon after being turned over to the Confederate forces, according to the compiled research.

He had been confined to the Old Capital Prison. He was moved in 1864 to Point Lookout Prison in Maryland then transferred to Elmira prison in New York before being exchanged to Fort Monroe. He died that same year from an illness as a prisoner on board a ship heading to Fort Monroe.

While his family does not know where he is actually buried, a stone was placed by his great-grandson Daniel Stewart Alexander at the Alexander Family Cemetery in Montclair off of Afton Court.

Gordon, along with his wife, dressed in period attire for the ceremony. Gordon also played Taps for his great-great grandfather.