Col. Lewis O. Morris

This stained and tilting marble gravestone stands in one of the most secluded corners of the South Ridge.  Located a few lots east of the large McIntyre plot, it is perched on a narrow hill which overlooks the old site of Consecration Lake.  In the distance, at the far left of the photo, there is a glimpse of the Witt crypt on the other side of a narrow ravine that splits off from the larger Moordanaers Kill ravine.

The front of this urn-topped monument features a shield-shaped tablet with a cross above it.  The top edge of the tablet is carved with a sword and tassels.  The inscription reads:  Col. Lewis O. Morris, U.S.A., Born Albany, N.Y. August 14, 1824.  Killed At Cold Harbor, VA, June 4, 1864.

If the name of this Civil War soldier seems familiar, it is because his father, Major Lewis M. Morris, was at Monterey during the Mexican War and was given one of the largest funerals in Albany's history.  The elder Morris lies buried on the Middle Ridge and his grave is marked by a magnificent brown sandstone monument.