Intermittent patches of sunlight filtered through the trees as a light breeze fluttered between numerous Confederate flags placed on the graves of Confederate Soldiers at Myrtle Hill Cemetery on Sunday.

A crowd of 30 to 40 people gathered at the cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers during the Confederate Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp 469 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Boy Scouts of Troop 118 led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, which was followed by the salute to the Confederate flag.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy placed a wreath on the grave of the Unknown Confederate Soldier and, after a moment of prayer, three volleys were fired followed by the firing of a canon volley as voices sang out a chilling rendition of “Dixie.”

Camp Commander-in-Chief Alan Bo Youngblood said although Confederate Memorial Day is really on April 26, the Camp chose to celebrate Sunday because of other commitments.

Of the Unknown Confederate Soldier, Youngblood said the wreath honored his sacrifice.

“We found him on the Alabama Road, Highway 20, and moved him out here in 1991 to be with his comrades, his fellow Confederate soldiers. We never knew his name and we had to bury him as an unknown,” he said.

Charles Kelly Barrow, national lieutenant commander-in-chief of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, was the guest speaker.

“He gave an outstanding speech about Confederate heritage and why we should honor these men and why we should not forget about them,” Youngblood said.

Barrow’s speech, titled “Nourishing the Blood,” emphasized how their bodies now mingled with rich southern soil as well as the sacrifice the men gave to the South.

“We should honor anybody that’s fallen, regardless of whether it’s 200 years ago,” he said. “All these men here, they either died here or in the hospitals and they gave the ultimate sacrifice. It’s only right to honor these men. They fought for a noble cause, for things we still strive for today.”