WHERE OUR MONUMENT MEN CAME TO REST
Time has eroded our ability to recall the boys who served during the Civil War. Worse still, it has erased markers placed on their graves. An effort is currently underway to verify a federal survey of veteran’s graves done in 1938. In Cedar Grove, 52 men were recorded as Union veterans. Forty-eight of those have headstones. Some of those identified are on our Monument. Some are not.
Considering only the 148 listed on the monument, 20 died while in military service, few of them near home. Seven of these died as a result of hostile action. They include: James Courtney, Richard Hickin, Robert McIlwain, Alvin Rose and Charles Scobie. Most of these lie buried near where they fell. Perkins Stanford was captured, died and was buried at Andersonville, a notorious southern prisoner of war camp. George Waterman was an exception. Shot in Dayton during pro-Southern disturbances, his family could afford to have his body returned to Peninsula for burial at their own expense.
Others who survived captivity attempted to return home by boarding a steamboat at Memphis. The boat exploded and sank April 27, 1865 in the greatest maritime disaster in American history. Seven Monument Men were aboard the Sultana that night. Four soldiers who died were Thomas Cody, James Dolan, John Garrison and Freeman Humes. Their remains were never identified. Survivor John Greenover lies in Cedar Grove. Where survivor Charles Napp is buried is not known. Bob Bishop’s ancestor, Levi Boodey, moved to Kansas after the war and was buried in Reno County in 1904.
A dinner party observing the 150th anniversary of Orlando Risdon’s promotion to General will be held Saturday March 14 at the GAR Hall. Seating is limited and tickets are expected to go quickly. A 150th anniversary presentation marking the award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to William Richardson will be on Saturday April 18 at the Boston Township Hall. More information will follow in January.
| Ed Andros |