Memorial Day is here.
Think barbecues, lemonade. A precious three-day weekend full of sun, sales and slacking off.
Rewind to the end of the Civil War. In 1865, Charleston, S.C., was in ruins, and many Union soldiers were being held prisoner in a converted racecourse. At least 257 of the captives died because of the horrific conditions, and their bodies were discarded in a mass grave.
Later, a group of black workmen dug up the bodies and reburied them to properly honor the fallen.
On May 1, 1865, over 10,000 people—recently freed slaves, black schoolchildren, colored soldiers and their allies—held what was the first Memorial Day parade.
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