Marking, respecting Civil War soldiers’ graves a community effort

Published 11:51 pm Thursday, April 13, 2017

By Brenda S. Edwards
Contributing writer

CRAB ORCHARD – New metal posts with numbers have been placed at graves of soldiers who served in the Civil War and are buried in Crab Orchard Cemetery.

Bob and Pam Smithers of Lexington joined John Hunter and his nephew Jeff Cefalu of Cincinnati Saturday and placed the markers at 28 grave sites and for 26 unknown Confederate soldiers.

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The unknown soldiers are buried in a circle around a 10-foot marble obelisk monument dedicated in 1872 to Confederate soldiers from four states who fought and died October 21, 1861, in the Battle of Wildcat Mountain in Laurel County.
They were buried at the battle site and reinterred 10 years later in Crab Orchard Cemetery.

The $125 for the monument was raised by the Dramatic Company of Crab Orchard.

David Gambrel, a local historian, researched all the known veterans, and listed each one with birth and death dates, if available, and their unit in a brochure for a self-guided tour of the cemetery.

Dakota Martin, a local Boy Scout, worked at the cemetery for his Eagle Scout project, and Gambrel worked on the self-guided tour of the graves.

Hunter said the old wooden markers at the graves were in bad condition and needed to be replaced.

The new markers were manufactured and donated by Smithers Signs in Lexington, owned by Bob and Pam Smithers.

Hunter’s great-grandfather, W.J. Hunter, who served with Co. B, 33 Indiana Infantry, is among veterans buried in the cemetery.

Other veterans in Kentucky units remembered are:
• Boston Dillion and Franklin W. Dillion, both captains of Co. E 1st Ky. Cavalry.
• N.A. “Albert” Humber, captain, and Carroll Cole Humber, both of Co. F 7th Ky. Cavalry and Co. A 2nd Ky. Cavalry; and W.T. Humber who was assassinated Sept 8, 1856, in Kansas.
• Harbert King, captain of Co. F. 3rd Ky. Infantry.
• Oliver Perry King was a musician with the 3rd Ky. Infantry.
• Louis Dishon, 3rd Ky. Infantry Co. F.
• James F. Carson, corporal in Co. F 3rd Infantry, and Arch D. Carson, lieutenant in Co. B 8th Ky. Cavalry.
• William Severance, sergeant in Co. B 8th Ky. Cavalry.
• Perry Thornton Pollard, Co. B 8th Ky. Cavalry.
• Robert H. Singleton, hospital steward of 19th Ky. Cavalry.
• Joel Adams, Co. F 19th Ky. Infantry.
• Moses Fish, Co. E 100th USCI.
• William Tucker, Co. L 6th USC.
• George W. Dollins, corporal Co. H 7th Ky. Cavalry.
• George H. Patten, lieutenant Co. D 4th Ky. infantry.
• Calloway Simpson, Co. E 49th Ky. Infantry.
• Francis M. Thompson, Co. D 8th Ky. Infantry.
• William Gatewood Welch, Co. 7th Ky. Cavalry.
• William N. Edminston, sergeant in Co. B 8th Ky Cavalry.
• Walter G. Saunders was not a soldier but played a role in post war.

Veterans from other states are:
• Wyatt H. Furr, Co. G Missouri Cavalry.
Joseph H. McNutt, Co. B 9 Tennessee.
• Samuel F. Reynolds, Co. E 11th Indiana Infantry.
• G.W. Sutton, Co. I 3rd Tennessee Infantry.