Book Review--Hollywood Cemetery: A Tour

DuPriest Jr., James E. Hollywood Cemetery: A Tour. Richmond Discoveries, Richmond, VA. B/W photos, map. 1989. 28 pages. ISBN 0941087018, $12.

Hollywood Cemetery, located in the old Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia is a wonderful example of the rural cemetery movement from the mid 1800's. Overlooking the James River the cemetery is the final resting place to over 18,000 Confederate soldiers and has over 65,000 burials in total.

For the visitor to the cemetery it can be an overwhelming event. James DuPriest Jr. has written a very brief guide that will suit the visitor with limited time or those who only have limited interest. For those seeking a more in depth tour of the cemetery should look elsewhere. For what it is this booklet serves it's purpose.

In a brief 28 pages DuPriest gives a very short history of the cemetery and a quick oversight into cemetery iconography. Also included is a map spread over two pages that helps orient visitors to the 24 sites highlighted. Some of the sites discussed include historian Douglas Southall Freeman, Confederate generals William "Extra Billy" Smith, Fitzhugh Lee, George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart, Presidents James Monroe, James Tyler, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the famous Iron Dog, and others.

This guide is really just the briefest of introductions to this marvel of a cemetery. Containing authors, military figures, presidents, industrialists, scientists, judges, and more this cemetery really can't be covered in a brief guide such as this. If you just need a brief guide this may be your book, if you are looking for a more in depth guide covering a wider spectrum of sites or one with color photos the reader is advised to look elsewhere.