Confederate Cemetary

[Hoss 4th AL]

Try your local UDC camp. They help alot on those kind of things.

[Busterbuttonboy]

You need to contact your state department of historic preservation and also be familiar with your states grave and re-internment procedures which will be found on your states website. This should be done before contacting the UDC, SCV, or NPS.

[RebelBugler]

Originally Posted by Jim Mayo

The VA will provide a head stone for each unmarked grave, free of charge. There are just a couple of forms to fill out. The SCV is very involved in placing grave markers. Follow the previous advice and get in touch with the local camp and see lif they can help.

The VA "may" provide a head stone for each unmarked grave free of charge. The current policy is that it "MUST" be requested by a "Next of Kin". This policy effectively eliminates the ability of descendent organizations, like the SCV and SUV, to file applications with the VA on behalf of WBTS Veterans with unmarked graves. Obviously, the SCV would still want to help but it is highly unlikely the VA will provide any headstones or assistance,

http://www.cem.va.gov/hm/hmqa.asp

The VA has also been somewhat discriminatory in authorizing headstones for Black Confederate soldiers, according to a recent Civilwar news article.

http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/...ts_110909.html

[Jim Mayo]

Originally Posted by RebelBugler

The VA "may" provide a head stone for each unmarked grave free of charge. The current policy is that it "MUST" be requested by a "Next of Kin". This policy effectively eliminates the ability of descendent organizations, like the SCV and SUV, to file applications with the VA on behalf of WBTS Veterans with unmarked graves. Obviously, the SCV would still want to help but it is highly unlikely the VA will provide any headstones or assistance,

http://www.cem.va.gov/hm/hmqa.asp

The VA has also been somewhat discriminatory in authorizing headstones for Black Confederate soldiers, according to a recent Civilwar news article.

http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/...ts_110909.html

Check out the last paragraph on the VA page from your link. Most of the CW Veteran headstones I know of were requested by the Cemetery official since NOK was not unavailable and the graves were unmarked or the present stone was broken or unreadable. Only a couple of times have I seen the VA turn down a request for a stone and then when a picture of the site was provided they changed their minds.

As for the VA not providing stones for black CS veterans, that should not be. That sounds like a personal decision by someone at the VA. If the documentation of service is there and the grave is unmarked the VA should provide a stone. About 10 years ago the local SCV got a stone for a black Confederate who served in the 41st Va. Inf. It was requested by the family and there was no problem getting the stone. Maybe there are some PC people in the VA pushing their own adjenda.

One thing everyone who orders a CW era US Navy stone needs to be checking is the inscription. I ordered a stone for a US CW Naval veteran and the stone came back with "Provisional Navy" on the stone for branch of service. That was the early CS navy. When I contacted the VA facility that engraved the stone, they said that their sample stone was engraved like that. No telling how many US CW Naval Veteran stones have Provisional Navy for branch of service.

[Gregg Hensley]

On several occasions my SCV Camp has requested and received headstones/foot markers with the cemetery committee chairman's signature only on the VA form. This was when the next of kin couldn't be located. The VA has never required us to provide a photo of the grave with any marker form we've sent in. With that said, the current economic times seem to be putting the squeeze on the VA as they have tightened the reins on providing markers. Before, if the soldier's service was not noted on a family headstone, we were able to get a foot marker for the soldier. No longer...if he has any kind of marker (other than a field rock) with his name, etc. on it, they will not provide a marker.

Gregg Hensley
22 NCST, Co. K