Memorial Service for Unknown Civil War Soldier Held at Christ Church, Chattanooga

Friday, April 21, 2001, an unknown Civil War soldier was memorialized in a ceremony attended by more than 80 people -- some in period attire --at Christ Church Episcopal in Chattanooga.

The remains of a soldier were unearthed on Missionary Ridge in 1999. According to Jim Ogden, historian of the Chickamauga National Battlefield, the soldier probably died without knowing the outcome of the battle -- one of the most significant campaigns” of the war. The battle ended on November 25, 1863 when the Union Army of the Cumberland broke through Confederate lines.

Whether the soldier wore the blue or the gray is unknown and, according to participants in the service, was no longer important. The memorial service was attended by Sons of Union Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans and period re-enactors.

The Rev. Jocelyn Bell, rector of Christ Church; the Rev. Clay Seneker, pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church; and the Rev. John Sims of Lutheran Services of Tennessee conducted the service in accordance with Civil War-era U.S. Army regulations. The period hymns “Onward Christian Soldiers” and “Amazing Grace” were sung.

The coffin was draped with a U.S. flag of the era and a Confederate flag.

On the following morning, the soldier’s remains were borne from Christ Church to the Confederate Cemetery by a horse-drawn caisson.

After a brief service, re-enactors fired three volleys in salute and the coffin was lowered into the grave to the sound of taps.

“He gave all, even unto his last breath,” said Edward Krieser, commander in chief of the Sons of Union Veterans. “In honoring this veteran, we honor all of them.”