Re: Civil War Dead to be Reburied

Date: May 29, 2004

"Remains of Civil War Soldiers Unearthed by Hurricane to Be Reburied in National Cemetery

By Erik Stetson Associated Press Writer

YORKTOWN, Va. (AP) - The remains of seven Union soldiers unearthed by Hurricane Isabel last year will be reburied in time for Memorial Day, a holiday first observed for the purpose of decorating the graves of the Civil War dead.

The September hurricane toppled about a dozen trees at Yorktown National Cemetery, their root systems tearing open graves as they fell. Of the historic site's nearly 2,200 graves, only seven were exposed. A cerermony to rebury the remains is set for Sunday.

"Certainly, given the number of graves that are in the cemetery, and the size and age of the trees, in many ways we're fortunate that there wasn't more damage," said park spokesman Mike Litterst.

Archaeologists and National Park Service officials removed the remains and stored them in a collection area used by curators until repairs to the park were finished. The park suffered $20 million in damage.

"Once we got all that done, we were within a month or two of Memorial Day," Litterst said.

The soldiers to be reburied were first interred in 1866. They'll be returned to their original gravesites but placed in new coffins modeled on the Civil War versions. The remains include bones and bits of uniforms.

Members of the 1st Texas Infantry, a local re-enactment unit, built the simple pine coffins and will lead Sunday's ceremony. The soldiers will receive full military honors, including a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing taps.

Only about 750 of the soldiers buried in the cemetery have been identified. Tim Smith, the re-enactor unit's captain, called the ceremony particularly important because the soldiers being reburied are "unknowns."

"It seems like almost a duty" to honor them, he added. "Because there's no one else to remember them."

Yorktown National Cemetery: www.nps.gov/york
Colonial National Historic Park: www.nps.gov/colo"