A local group is working to acquire and place headstones similar to those at Arlington National Cemetery at the graves of two Civil War Union veterans buried in Traverse City’s Oakwood Cemetery. And Robert Finch Camp No. 14 is also working to clean the headstones of other Civil War veterans and place flag holder markers on the grave of the last Civil War veteran to be buried in each county.
 
David Smith says the projects are all part of the mission of to honor those who fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War. “We … work with descendants (and) get headstones,” says Smith, secretary and past camp commander of Robert Finch Camp No. 14.
 
Camp No. 14 is the local chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the successor to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The GAR was a nationwide fraternal organization comprised of veterans of the Civil War. It was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member, Albert Woolson; the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War succeeded it.
 
Two gravesites in Oakwood Cemetery have been tentatively identified as belonging to Civil War veterans. Their obituaries noted their service to the Union, but the lack of additional documentation meant that the Veterans Administration would not pay for and provide official headstones.
 
So Smith and his comrades worked with cemetery sexton Brandon Morgan to get the headstones, which Smith says are similar to those at Arlington National Cemetery. As part of a cooperative effort, the Traverse Area Historical Society allocated a portion of its tour donations to fund that and the group’s other projects.
 
Smith himself is descended from Union soldiers and says keeping their memory alive is important to him. “When we conduct our rituals and ceremonies, I know that I am participating in or performing the same rituals and ceremonies that my grandfathers, uncles, and cousins did that were Comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic. Personally I cannot think of a stronger bond and tie to them beyond the obvious genetic link,” he says.
 
Smith’s group is the oldest of 22 such chapters in Michigan dedicated to sharing the memories and traditions of the Union Army, dating back to 1914. Robert Finch Camp No. 14 is named for Sergeant Robert Finch, who served in the First Michigan Sharpshooters during the Civil War and was wounded during the Battle of the North Anna River. Originally the chapter was based in Grand Rapids, until it petitioned to relocate to Traverse City, which was more convenient for members and potential members. 
 
Camp 14 is part of a statewide effort to document the final resting place of every Civil War soldier in Michigan. The group has located and identified more than 1,500 Union veteran graves in its region, which encompasses 19 counties.
 
In addition to the ongoing cleaning of headstones, the SUVCW Camps across the nation are placing flag holder markers on the graves of the last Civil War veteran to be buried in each county, including Joshua Moe from Grand Traverse County, buried near the GAR Plot 241 in Oakwood Cemetery.  
 
A ceremony will be conducted at a future date to dedicate the new veterans’ headstones. A special ceremony for Moe will be conducted the same day.