21 Facts About D-Day: 70 Years Ago Today

Operation Overlord

It was 70 years ago today, June 6, 1944, when World War Two Allied forces invaded Normandy, France by air and sea, in what was known as Operation Overlord: the Battle of Normandy.

General Omar Bradley

Despite poor weather conditions, air attacks began around midnight in Normandy with over 2,200 British and American bombers taking part. The American amphibious assault included over 73,000 men, 15,600 from the airborne divisions with General Omar Bradley as commander of the American contingent. This was the largest operation in U.S. military history since General Ulysses S. Grant landed at Bruinsberg during the Civil War.

Overlord Beach Assualt

Landing on Omaha Beach

The U.S. was concentrated on taking two beaches code named Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. The British were assigned to Gold Beach, Sword Beach, and Juno Beach where the Canadians also assisted. A total of 156,000 Allied soldiers landed on the shores of Normandy: The largest invasion by sea ever accomplished in history.

Allied causality figures of those injured, missing or dead have been estimated around 10,000 with U.S casualties alone numbering over 6,600. The British sustained approximately 2,700 and the Canadians had over 900.

Cemetery Overlooks Omaha Beach

American Causalities

Although the Allies were victorious in the Normandy invasion, the loss of life was great. On June 8^th the U.S. First Army established the first American cemetery in Europe for the war dead. Today, it is known as the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, and is located near Colleville-sur Mer, France. It is the final resting place for 9,386 U.S. WW II service men, and also one aviator killed in action during WW I; Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Memorial

A memorial for the 1,557 Americans who died in the Normandy campaign but could not be identified or located was constructed from 1953 - 1956. The names of those missing men are inscribed on the walls of the curved memorial at the east end of a retaining pool.

In honor of the day, here are 21 facts about D-Day you might not know:

1) Operation Overlord included American, British and Canadian armies.

2) Operation Overlord was originally planned for June 5^th but weather forced a one-day postponement.

3) The “D” stands for the secret “day” scheduled for the invasion.

4) Allied forces trained for one year before the Battle of Normandy.

5) Over 156,000 allied troops landed in Normandy on D-Day.

6) Close to 2,300 landing crafts carried men, vehicles and supplies to Normandy.

7) This was the largest seaborne invasion in history.

8) During the first eight hours of the assault, over 11,000 Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties.

9) The Germans flew over 300 sorties, most never reaching the beaches.

10) Six parachute regiments, made up of over 13,000 men, were flown from nine British airfields.

11) Dummy paratroopers called Ruperts were also dropped in different locations to confuse the Germans.

12) Over 18,000 parachutists were on the ground before dawn.

13) At 6:30 am, Allied soldiers began going ashore across a 60-mile front.

14) Those first off the landing crafts carried over 80-pounds of gear.

15) German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was not present when the invasion began – He was in Germany, celebrating his wife’s birthday.

16) German U-boats sank only one ship, a Norwegian destroyer named Svenner, on D-Day.

17) Germans were captured at a rate of 30,000 per month from D-Day through December 1944.

18) Texas housed 33 detention facilities during the war for German prisoners.

19) The National D-Day Memorial is located in Bedford, Virginia: the home of 21 men who were killed on D-Day. www.dday.org.

20) The National D-Day Museum is now known as the National WWII Museum and is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. www.nationalww2museum.org

21) General Dwight D. Eisenhower issued this order to begin the Battle of Normandy: "I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

~ Joy

Crown Hill Cemetery Celebrates 150 Years

New Crown Hill Book

This Sunday, June 1^st Crown Hill Cemetery will celebrate 150 years! In celebration of the sesquicentennial, the Crown Hill Heritage Foundation and Indiana Historical Society Press have published a 380-page book entitled “Crown Hill: History, Spirit, Sanctuary”.

View of the Cemetery

The Indianapolis Indiana cemetery was dedicated June 1, 1864 and the first interment was held the next day. Today, over 200,000 people rest among 555 rolling, tree-covered acres, making it the third largest non-government cemetery in the U.S.

View from the Crown

The park-like setting is home to thousands of stories, many of which the book shares, along with photos. The history of, and in, this cemetery is interesting and informative. 

Grave of Lucy Ann Seaton

The first burial at Crown Hill was held one day after the dedication ceremony, on June 2^nd. Lucy Ann Seaton, a 33 year-old mother had died of consumption (tuberculosis.)  Her husband John, a Union Captain serving in the Civil War, had inscribed on her stone, “Lucy, God grant that I can meet you in heaven.”

Through a Gravestone

Crown Hill: History, Spirit, Sanctuary

Crown Hill has thousands of statues, markers and gravesites. The Crown Hill book features over 600 color photographs from stunning monuments and mausoleums to seasonal vignettes to detailed close-ups of symbols and epitaphs to a bird’s eye view of the “City on the Hill.”

Crown Hill: History, Spirit, Sanctuary

The photos provide intricate and often over-looked details in the cemetery whether depicting chiseled mausoleums, abundant wildlife, or deeply etched shadows on a statue’s face: The fascinating photographic angles give the reader an even greater feel for the subject.

John Dillinger's Grave

Crown Hill: History, Spirit, Sanctuary

Crown Hill is the final resting place of numerous famous and notorious people from politicians to artists, actors, community and state leaders, automotive manufacturers, musicians, and countless others. Many of their stories are captured upon the pages of the Crown Hill anniversary book.

James Whitcomb Riley's Monument

Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley was the first person to be buried on top of the crown in 1917 – 18 months after his death.  From the top or the crown of the hill, you can see downtown Indianapolis, almost 3 miles away.

Eli Lilly Mausoleum

Other well-known people interred in the cemetery include Lyman Ayres, founder of L.S. Ayres Department stores.  Colonel Eli Lilly, Civil War Commander and pioneer pharmacist, who founded Eli Lilly Laboratory in Indianapolis.  Dr. Richard Gatlin, inventor of the Gatlin gun, along with John Dillinger, the infamous 1930’s bank robber.

Graves in National Cemetery

Crown Hill is also home to a National Cemetery. It was 1866 when the U.S. Government purchased 1.4 acres of land within Crown Hill to construct a military cemetery for Civil War soldiers.  Over 700 soldiers were interred by November of that year.  In all, 2,135 soldiers are now buried here, representing every war in which the United States has taken part in up to and including the Viet Nam War.  The last burial was for Air Force Major Robert W Hayes in 1969.

Confederate Mound

There is also another military burial ground in Crown Hill: The Confederate Mound is the final resting place of 1,616 Confederate Prisoners of the Civil War.  These southern soldiers died while being detained at Camp Morton from 1862 through 1865.  Most were originally buried at the City Cemetery, but were moved in 1931 by the War Department.

June Tour Schedule

Tours

Public and private tours of the cemetery are offered throughout the year. There are four different tours scheduled during the anniversary month. Tours will be held on each Saturday this month and include: Angels of Crown Hill (June 7), Heritage Tour, which includes a visit to over 40 graves and monuments of well-known and notable people (June 14), Private Family Mausoleums (June 21), and Skeletons in the Closet, Part 1 (June 28). All tours begin at 7:30 p.m. except June 21 when the mausoleum tour is held at 9:30 a.m.

U.S. Colored Troops Burial Grounds

The “Spirit of Freedom” event, celebrating the African Americans who fought and died during the Civil War, will be held June 5^th, 10:45 to 1 p.m.

Cemetery Honey

Crown Hill is alive with nature from Monarch butterflies covering a gravestone to deer grazing peacefully under the trees. The cemetery is also home to over 4,000 inventoried trees; many uncommon to the region, and many that are very old. The cemetery is a-buzz with thousands of bees, which have hives on top of the Art Deco Community Mausoleum. Beekeepers from England’s Apiary of Indianapolis gather the honey a couple of times a year to sell. It has been called, “Gravely delicious.”

Statue in Cemetery

Plan a trip to Crown Hill Cemetery to explore the art, sculptures, history and more. The cemetery is located at 700 West 38^th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information, visit their web page at www.crownhill.org. Or check out the Crown Hill Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/crownhill.org

If you can’t make it for a visit, or would like a beautiful keepsake, consider a copy of the 150^th anniversary book, Crown Hill: History, Spirit, Sanctuary. To order visit www.crownhillhf.org

Crown Hill is a true Rural Cemetery offering something for everyone; history, architecture, art, walking tours and nature, all in a serene and beautiful setting.

Happy 150^th Anniversary to this magnificent City on the Hill!

~ Joy

The 169th Anniversary of the First Woman Executed by Hanging

It was 169 years ago today that Elizabeth Reed was taken from the Lawrence County jail, riding on top of her coffin, to be hanged for the murder of her husband. And her story remains one of questions, conflict, and mystery almost 170 years later. 

Elizabeth (Betsey) Reed was a frontier wife from the tiny Illinois town of Heathsville. She and her husband Leonard resided quietly in their home just outside of town.

But Betsey was not well liked in the tiny village. Many of the local women found her to be coldhearted, uncaring and too eccentric for their tastes.  However, men appeared to be fascinated by her, observing none of the traits that the women did.

Public opinion of Leonard wasn’t much better.  Some viewed him as a calculated businessman who made ruthless decisions. Others said he was a failure who was unwilling to try and fit into society. 

Then, in May 1844, Betsey Reed was accused of giving her husband Leonard, a cup of arsenic-laced sassafras tea (or some said, squirrel soup). He died the next day and she was charged with murder based on a relative’s accusation.

Reed was arrested, taken to Palestine, Illinois and placed in the Crawford County jail. The building was reportedly built from oak trees with walls that were three feet thick. Then the unthinkable happened - a fire, reportedly started by Betsey Reed, burned down the building. 

Officials said that Betsey had had nothing in her possession that could have been used to start the blaze, but the story spread like wildfire across the prairie. Soon insinuations were made that she was a witch and spread around the community, titillating resident. 

Reed was moved to the Lawrence County jail in Lawrenceville, Illinois, about 25 miles away.  The change of venue did nothing to assist in her defense.  The story was so horrifying for the time that it was being covered by newspapers from around the state, and around the country, some as far away as New York City.

Augustus French

Usher Linder

Two well-known attorneys, Augustus French and Usher Linder, prepared Betsey’s defense. The only witness to the supposed poisoning was a relative, 16-year-old Evelyn Deal.  Evelyn said that she saw Betsey pour a white powder into Leonard’s tea and then serve it to him. No other evidence was given. 

William Wilson

Betsey’s trial lasted for three days. During that time, she was never allowed to take the stand in her own defense.  Illinois State Supreme Court Justice William Wilson, after hearing the evidence, pronounced her guilty of murder and sentenced her to be hanged.

Lawrence County Courhouse

On the morning of May 23, 1845, thousands of people lined the streets of the small town of Lawrenceville.  Crowd estimates ranged from 8,000 to 20,000 people, all on hand to witness the first woman to ever be hanged. 

It was rumored that Betsey Reed ‘found God’ in the eleventh hour and had been baptized in the Embarras River the night before.  Newspaper reports said that she went to the gallows, riding on top of her coffin, singing hymns and chanting religious verses.  The minister who presided, Reverend John Seed, preached a long sermon to the crowd while Betsey continued to sing and chant. 

Ninety minutes after the event began, Elizabeth (Betsey) Reed became the first woman in the U.S. ever publicly executed, and the only woman executed by hanging in the state of Illinois.

According to the New York Daily Tribune, Betsey’s body was taken down and dissected.  It was discovered that she had swallowed tiny pieces of brick and pulverized glass in an attempt to kill herself and escape the hangman’s noose.

Betsey Reed was buried outside of the local town cemetery, in an unmarked grave.  But family members, who did not believe she was guilt, demanded she be given a proper burial.  After waiting what they considered “long enough” for her exhumation, relatives stole into town at night and dug up her remains, taking them by river through the "Dark Bend" and across the prairie back to Heathsville.

Betsey was re-interred in the tiny local cemetery called Baker, just outside of Heathsville.  Up a narrow country lane, surrounded by crops and woods, the cemetery has a gloomy feel, even during the day. 

Elizabeth is buried next to Leonard, the husband she was found guilty of murdering, at the back of Baker cemetery.  A simple stone marked E.R. can be found in the grass.  Along side it is a replacement gravestone that simply lists their names, dates, and how they died.  Under Leonard’s name it says “Death by murder.”  Under Betsey’s name it reads “Death by hanging.”

Two Orbs on Cemetery Road

But according to the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, it appears that Betsey Reed did not go ‘quietly into that good night.’  After exploring this cemetery they have reported paranormal activity around her and Leonard’s graves including this EVP where a woman’s voice states, “I’m innocent.” www.crawfordcountyghosthunters.com/EVPiminnocent.htm

It is now one hundred sixty nine years later and questions still exist as to her guilt or innocence.  Regardless, Elizabeth Reed has gone down in the annals of U.S. history as the first women to be hanged in the state, and the country … a sad legacy, indeed.

~ Joy