Some of my Gettysburg boys' stories strike a stronger chord with me than others, although they're all special and need to be remembered. There's usually a particular reason I feel closer... as is the case with Marshal Prue, Company F, 5th Texas. One of my favorite places on the battlefield (albeit I have many) is Devil's Den. I went there and loved it for years before I even knew the individual stories. But Private Prue is still there. When I walk the grounds, when I just sit quietly and *feel* the sadness that has always remained in the air, he's there. When I watch the sunset from Devil's Den, he's there and has been since 02 July 1863... since Robertson's attack on Houck's Ridge. While many soldiers remain on the field, Private Prue's story is confirmed. The base of Big Round Top... near Devil's Den and Plum Run *is* his final resting place. His grave site was clearly marked until 1866. What happened then isn't documented... the elements, the overgrowth, vandals... no one knows. What is known, however, is that when southern bodies were being exhumed to be returned to southern soil, the exact burial place of Private Prue had been "lost." He did not make it in the body shipments of 1871-73.
