Died At Pensacola Florida September 20, 1861 Aged 18 years and 4 months Willie, our solider boy From the Confederate army of Earth he was taken; to join the grand confederacy of heaven. - His Mother Willie's tomb stone is located at Hillcrest Cemetery, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Our young Confederate soldier was born in May of 1843, probably in Holly Springs. He died in Pensacola, my home town. The reason why we'll never know, but possibly he was wounded in battle elsewhere and suffered the rough transportation to the medical facilities in Pensacola, always a major military area, as it is to this day. The devotion of the Confederacy, although admirable in the sense of loyalty, was at times a bit excessive. However, most obsessions often can be defined as such. My partner here says misguided, but that debate is for elsewhere. They were fighting for the survival of the only way of life they knew, be it right or wrong. What is clear here is that Willie's mother dearly loved her son, almost as much as she loved the Confederacy itself. She must have severely mourned his tragic passing at such a young age. I'm sure it brought her some consolation believing that her beloved son had moved on to join the Confederate ranks in heaven. However, I can't help but wonder what she thought they may have been doing up there. At the bottom of the tomb stone is the family name, Long. Perhaps the descendants of Willie Long are still living in Holly Springs today. There are other posts from Hillcrest Cemetery earlier in my gallery. Thanks for reading, marshall