36 Civil War soldiers will have headstones dedicated in Iowa cemetery

A dedication ceremony in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for military headstones for 36 Civil War veterans who have been buried in unmarked graves for a century will be taking place in May. This is being done with the help of Colonel William H. Kinsman Camp #23, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the Veterans Administration. -- Article

'It's important they're not forgotten'

Eleven Michigan Civil War veterans were finally given proper headstones after being buried in Traverse City’s Oakwood Cemetery without one for more than 100 years. On Saturday, a headstone dedication ceremony was held by The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. • Article

Petersburg overhauls cemetery in disrepair

Back during the Depression, grave markers for 6,000 Civil War soldiers were placed flat or pushed to ground level at Poplar Grove National Cemetery at what is now Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia. This caused damage over the years to many of the markers. A slow deterioration of the rest of the sacred resting round brought outrage. Finally, on Saturday, the soldiers got their honor and respect back. The cemetery was rededicated following a comprehensive rehab. • Article

At Petersburg, a 'powerful' new appearance as cemetery rehab work nears completion

Reproduction Columbiads will be set near flagpole (NPS photo)

Betsy Dinger has had a front-row seat to a one-of-a-kind rehabilitation project at a cemetery containing the remains of nearly 6,200 Civil War soldiers.

The park ranger at Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia has witnessed and spoken with workers and craftsmen restoring dignity to the graves on the rolling grounds of Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Some 5,700 upright headstones have been installed this year, replacing worn, sometimes broken, markers that were placed on the ground in the 1930s to save on maintenance costs.

Dinger has photographed the restoration of the cemetery lodge to its Victoria appearance, repointing of bricks, drainage improvements and the installation of a new flagpole and reproduction artillery pieces, among many improvements.

“Having spent so much time there, loving it as much as I do, it is very powerful,” she told the Picket this week.

Finishing touches are being put on the multimillion-dollar project. Crews are completing a “big punch list” and will try to complete them by next month. Grass will be sown and the 8-acre resting ground will be readied for a spring opening, with an April 29 rededication ceremony. Poplar Grove has been closed to visitors for more than a year.

Dinger said she has been heartened to see the markers now jutting from the ground. Most are above remains of unknown soldiers. The top of those stones have a grave registration number and indicate how many soldiers are interred in that spot.

“Even for the poor fellows whose identity was lost… you still know that that grave is properly marked, she said. “It sort of slaps you in the head. Oh, my gosh, look at this huge number of unknown soldiers.”

All but 100 headstones have been put in place. In many of those cases, the stones are broken or have errors in the inscriptions.

The ranger and others have been putting together a searchable database of the known dead buried at Poplar Grove. Many died in the fighting during the 1864-65 siege of the city.

A view from the refurbished lodge (NPS photos)

Starting in the spring, visitors will have access to a kiosk on the lodge porch. They’ll be able to enter biographical information and find the grave’s location. (Previously, they would need to send an email or get assistance from a park ranger on site or at a headquarters location.)

Dinger said a chaplain from the Army’s Fort Lee will take part in the April rededication. She hopes some of the brick masons and other workers attend. And, of course, descendants of those buried at Poplar Grove are welcome. She knows of one such individual from Washington state who plans to attend.

The National Park Service maintains 14 national cemeteries, but replacing headstones that have lain on the ground for decades is unique.

"Usually, you don’t almost redo an old cemetery from the ground up,” said Dinger.

Three unknown soldiers are buried here.

At Petersburg battlefield cemetery, new headstones and some discoveries

New headstones at Poplar Grove (NPS photos)

A rainy May hampered workers, but about 1,200 new headstones have been installed thus far at Poplar Grove National Cemetery at the Petersburg battlefield in Virginia.

The first of 5,600 upright markers that are replacing ones that have lain on the ground for more than 80 years were put in place in late March.

The new look is part of a multimillion project to upgrade the cemetery in Virginia. Brick boundary walls are being repointed, a lodge is being redone to return to its Victorian-era appearance and an 1897 bandstand is getting its original colors back – black support areas, a cap with an interior painted blue and the exterior red. Crews also are addressing drainage issues.

Graves that contain a known individual are receiving a new 200-pound headstone with a rounded top to ward off rain, and the signature federal shield and writing. Lighter markers for unknown individuals will have a flat top that will contain a grave number.

Petersburg National Battlefield ranger Betsy Dinger said officials hope the headstone work will be completed by December. Because the cemetery is closed, there will be no customary Memorial Day service this year.

Crews work respectfully around graves but during all the construction some items have been unearthed, said Dinger. That includes a ginger beer bottle, pottery shards and a few small personal items that may have belonged to Civil War soldiers, though that’s not certain. (It is a federal crime for individuals to use a metal detector on federal land or remove artifacts.)

The land held a family farm before the war and saw parts of the battles and siege in 1864 and 1865. The 50th New York Engineer Regiment set up camp for several months and they built quarters suitable to their occupation. 

Maj. George Ford of 50th NY at Petersburg (Library of Congress)

The U.S. Army site included an impressive church with steeple, paddocks, cabins and “raised walkways to keep them out of the mud,” said Dinger. The 50^th did a range of work at Petersburg, including construction and repair on fortifications and destroying Confederate railroads.

Engineers built this church (Library of Congress)

The 9-acre cemetery, which filled the camp space used by the Union army, was established a year after the war’s end and the church was dismantled two years after that, Dinger said. For a time, an African-American congregation worshipped inside.

About 6,200 Federal soldiers are buried at Poplar Grove; about 4,000 of them are unknown. In some instances, multiple soldiers are buried together. A few Confederates also rest at Poplar Grove.

While Poplar Grove National Cemetery remains closed, "Hard Hat Tours" are scheduled throughout the year. The next is Saturday, June 25, at 10 a.m. Reservations are necessary; contact park ranger Betsy Dinger at (804) 732-3531 ext. 208.

SCV camp installs Stone Mtn. headstones

For years, unknown Confederate soldiers who died of disease and wounds at hospitals in the village of Stone Mountain, Ga., rested under stones that became weathered or in disrepair.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans' Confederate Memorial Camp No. 1432 in recent months has been placing new granite markers in the historic Stone Mountain Cemetery east of Atlanta.

At this Tuesday evening's annual Confederate Memorial Day service, those in attendance will see the 144 markers put in so far. The camp plans to install 58 more. There are about 280 known and unknown Confederates in the city cemetery. The April 26 service starts at 6:30 p.m. at the cemetery.

The effort has been led by camp commander Jeff Bailey.

The 46 members' next goal is installing a Southern Cross of Honor on the graves of 80 known veterans.