First headstone installed at Poplar Grove

(Courtesy National Park Service)

The first new, upright headstone at Poplar Grove National Cemetery at Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia was installed on Tuesday. The marker is for the grave of W.H. Johnson, who served in the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). According to one website, a William Johnson served with the 23rd USCT and was originally buried at Avery farm. See story below for details on the 18-month rehabilitation project that will replace headstones that were cut and placed on the ground more than 80 years ago.