Elwood, IL Civil War Veterans to Be Honored

As we now honor those last remaining members of our “Greatest Generation” who served during World War II, our ancestors noted the passing of the last Civil War veterans with reverence. As the last elderly veterans of that war slowly died off in the 1930’s and 1940’s, communities mourned their passing. Local veterans’ groups and fraternal organizations combined to provide elaborate military funerals for them. Large processions went from local funeral homes to the cemeteries that provided their final resting places. Their experiences and sacrifices were recounted and lauded in local newspapers. Unfortunately, some of those heroes have been forgotten over time and their final resting places are now unmarked.

The Philip H. Sheridan Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in conjunction with the Maple Hill Cemetery Association will conduct a dedication ceremony for seven new headstones on the previously unmarked graves of Civil War veterans buried in the historic Maple Hill Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 1pm at the Cemetery located at 21301 West Mississippi Avenue, 1 mile west of Elwood. Street-side parking is available. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs for their comfort.

This is the capstone of a project designed to rigorously identify and document all the Civil War veterans buried in the Cemetery, procure and install new grave markers on those graves needing them and straighten and clean the markers on the other already existing Civil War veterans’ graves. Twenty-four Civil War veterans are buried in Maple Hill Cemetery. Many of those soldiers served in units raised locally in Will County, including the 20^th and 100^th Illinois Infantries. In addition three veterans who served in Ohio units, one from New York and a solitary Confederate from Virginia are buried in the Cemetery.

During the dedication ceremony the area’s experience in the Civil War and the experiences of several of the Civil War veterans buried in the Cemetery will be discussed. National SUVCW Chaplain Jerome Kowalski will provide the invocation and an inspirational message. Elwood Village President William Offerman, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Director Sean Baumgartner and other local dignitaries and leaders of Civil War heritage groups will provide reflections on the event’s significance. Rifle and artillery salutes will be provided by the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Honor Guard and Mulligan’s Battery respectively.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is a volunteer, non-profit, charitable, fraternal, patriotic and educational organization composed of members who can trace their lineage to soldiers, sailors, or marines who were mustered into Federal service and served honorably in, were honorably discharged from, or died in the service of the Union Army or Navy during the Civil War. The SUVCW is officially recognized as the Grand Army of the Republic’s (GAR) legal successor, receiving its Congressional Charter in 1954. Philip H. Sheridan Camp #2 serves the western and southern Chicago suburbs. This is the group’s 16^th cemetery project in the area. For more information, contact the SUVCW at foxvalleycivwar@live.com.