The Virginia in the Civil War Message Board

A tribute to Private Michael Spence

Private Michael Spence was a member of Parker's Company of Light Artillery of Virginia. He joined that command on June 20th 1863 as per his CMSR's. A few days later he found himself involved in the battle of Gettysburg.

Aside from a few days down time in a Richmond Hospital, Private Spence had a terrific military record. He was captured on April 6, 1865 in Virginia and sent to Point Lookout. He did take the oath and was provided with transportation home.

Private Spence moved to Columbus, Ohio after the War and was living with his wife. According to newspaper articles he was very much looking forward to attending the 50th Gettysburg reunion in 1913. However illness prevented him from going. He would die just a few days prior to the reunion in June of 1913. Mr. Spence had been ill for many years and according to the newspaper article spent his life savings at the local hospital. When he died he was buried without a tombstone.

A local reenactment group of Parker's Company of Light Artillery will be in Columbus, late next year and with members of the SCV will get Private Spence and his wife a tombstone and a ceremony he will hear in heaven. We know the exact location of his body. How his grave could have gone unoticed all of these years is embarrassing. It has been said that a man dies three deaths. 1) When he leaves his body 2) When he is placed in the ground and 3) when he has been forgotton about. Private Spence will NOT meet his third death.