MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — On Veterans Day in Manitowoc, the community honored two Civil War veterans by installing headstones at their previously unmarked graves, following a dedicated search effort that spanned more than a century.
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Heinrich H. Behrens and John S. Tufts, two of 231 Civil War veterans buried at Evergreen Cemetery, had been resting without headstones since their deaths in the 1800s. Thanks to the Manitowoc County Civil War Round Table, both soldiers now have proper markers to commemorate their service.
"Manitowoc never forgets its veterans, I believe the whole country never forgets its veterans; we just go a step above," said Dan Reinke, a board member with the Manitowoc County Civil War Round Table.
The search for the unmarked graves required extensive detective work. Reinke relied on old maps and handwritten burial logs from the 1800s to locate the graves across the 80-acre cemetery.
"We have 231 Civil War veterans; we could find 229 of them. However, two of the veterans they didn't have a stone, so how do you find them?" Reinke said.
During the search, volunteers discovered something unique about Behrens' burial.
"What's unusual about Mr. Behrens is that he is buried horizontally... It's the only one we have ever seen," Reinke said.
Behrens served as a private in the 27th Wisconsin Infantry Company D. Once both burial sites were located, new headstones were installed and unveiled on Veterans Day. Alongside each stone is a sheet sharing the soldiers' stories.
"That way the people can meet their veteran and get to learn about them," Reinke said.
The community effort extends beyond finding unmarked graves. Volunteers like Kathy Machia regularly maintain Civil War headstones throughout the cemetery.
"We just go from stone to stone and get them clean," Machia said. "It's a very rewarding thing to do, very rewarding. It's an honor."
Volunteers plan to continue maintaining these graves and honoring the soldiers laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery, ensuring their service and stories are never forgotten.
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