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U \IJhen George came back, VV he was kind of ignored and didn’t get a military stone like the other servicemen did.”Frank Graserhelped to get proper stone for soldier■ Continued from Page A1ference. George Uzzeli had a government-issued marker, but his brother did not, meriting only a civilian issue marker. The story of their relationship came pbout when a friend of historian Ed Gerling found it in a J912 newspaper article. Gerling, Bill Scoggins and Frank Graser of Bethalto joined to mark the Confederate soldier's grave with a proper stone.- Gerling and Scoggins are members of the Sons of the American Revolution and Scoggins asked Graser, who is a member of the Methodist Church, to clear the way for fhe new marker.’• Master of ceremonies at the. marker’s dedication was Mike Dreith. Bethalto American Legion Post No. 214 conducted the color guard. Members of the Civic Memorial High school Band played “Bonnie Blue Flag.”: The Rev. Howard White, pastor of Bethalto Methodist, gave the invocation and benediction. His prayer reminded the audience of the nation’s “painful pafct” of the Civil war and haked that God wash away thpain of that war and its symbols, such as the Confederate flag, which though it had a distinctive function at the dedication, is used by some as a symbol of hate...The guest speaker was Girling. His topic was “The J^ne Confederate” and he r$old the sfory of the brothers and their eventual unitytgter a lifetime of separa-' -Gerling said there was a sequel to the brothers’ story fn- an elderly woman many ydars ago who took it upon fiJMf to come to the cemetery each year on Memorial Day and decorate all the veterans’ graves.“She always include John Leonard’s grave because, as she said, he was no less a soldier and a hero because he chose to be a Confederate rather than a traitor. Now we have been united for the past 135 years and hope that the citizens of Bethalto will continue this fine tradition to recognize ail veterans buried in this cemetery.John Leonard Uzzeli died in 187! and George Uzzeli died in 1908. Camp Ford, the Texas prison where the latter was a prisoner of war, was destroyed on July 4, 1865, by the 10th Illinois Cavalry. It is celebrated with a five-foot-tall granite marker.Gerling said the prison was near Tyler, Texas, and held 5,300 prisoners of war. At 11 acres, he said it was the largest Southern prisonwest of the Mississippi.“Unlike other prison camps, officers and enlisted men were confined together. They were allowed to leave, under guard, to tend to a large vegetable garden and cemetery for prisoners. They had some mail privileges (ail outgoing mail was sent postage due). One prisoner even hand-wrote a camp newspaper called The Old Flag . He was able to put together three issues without being caught. A stream nearby provided an adequate water supply. Sometimes they were given a steer to butcher. The food was tolerable. They were given a few axes to cut wood for shelters which they called shebangs.” Gerling said that after the two brothers met in the camp, they were given opportunities to meet and become reacquainted.Frank Graser said he thought the tale of the brothers is a “terrific story because they came back after the war to live together without animosity, just as the country is living together today. “When George came back, he was kind of ignored and didn’t get a military stone like the other servicemen did.”The dedication ceremony concluded with a musket salute by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and echo taps by two Civic Memorial High members, Matt Drury and Andrew Rider.
Newspaper Details
Alton Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Mon, Oct 02, 2000
Page 32
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 26 Apr 2023
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