Minnesota units fought with great valor, and it’s an honor to serve and recognize and remember them,” said Gary Carlberg of Col. William Colvill Camp 56 William Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).
On October 5, 2024, at 5 p.m., members of the SUVCW Camp 56 of Minnesota, along with representatives from the Fillmore County and Olmsted County Historical Society, Chatfield Cemetery, the Chatfield VFW Post 6913, the American Legion Post 197 Veterans Honor Guard, family members, and the public gathered at the Chatfield Cemetery in Chatfield, Minn. They came together to honor four Fillmore County Civil War veterans.
Carlberg thanked everyone for coming and announced, “We are here today to honor and forever mark the resting place of the last Civil War soldier buried in Fillmore County. Additionally, we are honored to dedicate new headstones and render military honors to three Civil War Union veterans whose graves have been unmarked for over 100 years.”
In addition to the reading of prayers, the ceremony featured elements of an 1860s military tribute that are not authorized for current military funerals. The men did what is called “rest on arms.” An echoing trumpet rendition of “Taps” was performed, a practice that emerged by accident when the music echoed beautifully in a canyon. It was common for that to be played during a Civil War funeral.
Private Charles Marion Culver, the last of the 626 Union Civil War Veterans known to be buried in Fillmore County, Minn., was recognized with a medal medallion marking his grave. “Honor and forever mark the resting place of the last Civil War Soldier buried in Fillmore County.” Two members of his family, Sharon Durgin Hanson and Carol Durgin Mathison, were on hand to witness the dedication. Donna Johnson laid two wreaths on the grave of Culver. Representatives from the Olmsted and Fillmore County Historical Societies unveiled the metal marker.
On January 17, 1862, at age 12, Charles Marion Culver enlisted into Company B, 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a drummer boy. His father, Norman K. Culver, was the captain of Company B. Charles Culver was discharged for disability at Memphis, Tenn., on March 16, 1863. His two sons served in World War One. For over 40 years, Charles ran a department store in Chatfield.
The group dedicated three headstones, provided free by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and rendered military honors for three Fillmore County Civil War Union veterans: Major George Andrus, Private William Henry Batterson, and Private William Perry, whose graves have gone unmarked for over a century.
Major George Andrus was born in Franklin County, N.Y. in 1844 and moved to Minnesota in 1859. He enlisted into Company B, 3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged with a disability on February 3, 1862. He re-enlisted two more times and resigned on May 1, 1865. He later served in the Minnesota State Legislature in 1875 and 1880 and died on November 4, 1917. His grave went unmarked for 107 years.
Private William Henry Batterson was born in 1831 in either New York or Ohio. He enlisted into Company F, 1st Minnesota Cavalry, The Mounted Rangers, on November 6, 1862, and mustered out on December 2, 1863. He worked as a carpenter and farmer in Chatfield and passed away on August 29, 1919. He has been in an unmarked grave for 105 years.
William Perry was born in New York in 1847. At 17, he enlisted in Company A, 193rd New York Infantry. He mustered out in October 1865 at York, Penn. After the war, he moved to Fillmore County, Minn., where he and his wife Susie Johnson had seven children. They settled in Wykoff where Perry operated a livery business. He moved to North Dakota after his first wife died. Perry died on October 10, 1922, in North Dakota. His remains were brought back to Chatfield where he was buried in an unmarked grave for 102 years.
Research partners including the Fillmore County Historical Society, Olmsted County Historical Society, and Chatfield Cemetery were recognized.
According to the SUVCW, the “Colvill Camp is the Minnesota chapter of the SUVCW. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a Congressionally Chartered organization formed in 1881 by the Grand Army of the Republic. Among the purposes of our order is the perpetuation of the memory of the men who saved the Union and honoring all who have patriotically served our nation in any war.”
In addition to being a solemn ceremony, it was also an educational opportunity for those interested in Civil War history. Donna Johnson, dressed in period clothing, represented the SUVCW and offered information on membership, which requires documentation of a family member’s Civil War service.
In conclusion Carlberg said, “Private Charles Marion Culver, Major George Andrus, Private William Henry Batterson, and Private William Perry, you are now relieved; I have the post. Rest in Peace. Amen.”
After the ceremony, attendees visited the newly marked graves of Andrus, Batterson, and Perry.
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