William Thomas Overby's sacrifice was indicative of the spirit of The South, state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland told the crowd gathered last week for a memorial service.

Volunteers conducted the third annual William Thomas Overby Day Memorial Service at his grave site in Oak Hill Cemetery, Newnan.

Overby was a Confederate soldier from Newnan who was hanged Sept. 23, 1864 in Front Royal, Va. after refusing to reveal the hiding place of his unit.

Westmoreland, speaker for the occasion, told the gathered crowd that the terms east, west, north and south are used to describe a direction, but the term The South was used to describe a place that has a rich heritage.

"When Overby sat on his horse, his demeanor was indicative of this heritage, proud to serve in the interest of 'The South' and proud not to reveal the hiding place of his commander," said Westmoreland, a Tyrone resident who represents parts of Fayette and Coweta. "We remember him here today because he has added to our heritage by choosing honor above all," said the 104th District Republican.

Overby was born in 1837 in Dunwoody, Va. and in 1839 his family moved to the Newnan area. He entered the Confederate Army in May 1861, 7th Georgia, Co. A.

Aug. 31, 1862 he was wounded at Second Manassas and taken to a hospital in Warrenton, Va., six miles away. The next 18 months were spent working as a nurse in hospitals in Virginia and in May 1864, he joined Col. John F. Mosby's Rangers, Co. D.

Overby and four others were captured Sept. 23, 1864, along with a 17-year-old boy who had wanted to join the Confederate army. Within four hours, Overby and Thomas Carter were hanged, and the other four were shot.

Firsthand accounts after the war described Overby as remaining on his horse, head held high, and refusing to reveal Mosby's last known location.

He and Carter were hanged from a walnut tree. Several years later, the tree was cut into small pieces and sold to create a memorial in Front Royal for the six men.

Overby's remains were brought from Virginia in January 1997 and reinterred in Oak Hill Cemetery, Newnan.