Community Corner

Boy Scouts Decorate Veterans' Graves

Scouts joined veterans for breakfast, then placed flags on each veteran's grave around town.

Upon the invitation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Boy Scouts from Troops 68 and 170 met at in Unionville on Saturday for breakfast with the veterans. Afterward, they placed new flags on the graves of almost 500 veterans in the Hillside, Saint Mary’s, and Greenwood Cemeteries.  While doing their duty, the scouts came across two graves of particular interest:

At Saint Mary’s, the scouts placed a flag on the grave of Patrick Scanlan, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Private Scanlan, a member of Company A of the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry, volunteered as a member of a boat crew which went to the rescue of a large number of Union soldiers on board the stranded steamer Boston, and with great gallantry assisted in conveying them to shore, being exposed during the entire time to fire from a Confederate battery.  This took place at Ashepoo River, South Carolina on May 24, 1864.

At the Greenwood Cemetery is the grave of Austin Fuller.  A wood turner before the Civil War,  Private Fuller served in Company A of the 16th Connecticut.  On April 20, 1864, he was among hundreds of soldiers captured at Plymouth, South Carolina.  Imprisoned, Fuller eventually arrived at Andersonville scene of much suffering, starvation, and disease.  In December 1864, he left Andersonville as part of an exchange of sick and wounded soldiers.  With his wife at his side, Fuller died on January 8, 1865.  Near the bottom of his tombstone are these words

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"The strife is ended

And he is at rest"

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Please take the time to visit our local cemeteries to honor those that have served our nation. Special thanks to the John Banks’ Civil War Blog for some of the information contained here.


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