Fairfield Cemetery

Rochester, New York, is known for many things that make up part of its identity: Kodak, Genny beer, lilacs, and garbage plates are things that the Flower (or Flour) City takes pride in. An important chapter in the city’s history is related to the fight for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery in the 19th century.

The city was home to Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, and their gravesites in Mount Hope Cemetery are the most frequented. It might seem surprising then, that the city which served as a station of the underground railroad also has some Confederate soldiers scattered around the area, too. Indeed, one of of these Graybacks rests in Fairfield Cemetery, in the village of Spencerport, located on the Erie Canal. 

Dewitt C. Guy’s final resting place is an inconspicuous small headstone in a family plot, which is marked by a larger stone. A small American flag decorates it, as well as a Southern Cross of Honor, and a small plaque noting his time as a prisoner of war at Point Lookout.

Rochester newspapers have featured information on Guy, and other Confederate soldiers, several times through the years, so finding further information on him is just a quick Google search away.