Rockford Civil War veteran receives proper headstone
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - After nearly 100 years in an unmarked grave, a Rockford veteran is honored for his role in America’s bloodiest battle.
Civil War veteran Samuel H. Bogenrief was honored Thursday, June 26, during a gravestone dedication ceremony at Arlington Memorial Park in Rockford.
On Thursday, Samuel H. Bogenrief, a farrier with the 17th Illinois Calvary during the Civil War, received a proper farewell. He is the only Civil War veteran laid to rest in Arlington Memorial Park on Rockford’s southeast side.
“Because he was a blacksmith, they made him a farrier, which meant he took care of the trimming the horses’ hooves and taking care of the horses’ shoes,” said cemetery secretary Beverly Krenek.
Krenek says during the waning days of the war, Bogenrief was involved in a disagreement with an officer, which led a dishonorable discharge from the Union. However, that was overturned years later.
Bogenrief’s story remained untold until last year.
Civil War veteran Samuel H. Bogenrief was honored Thursday, June 26, during a gravestone dedication ceremony at Arlington Memorial Park in Rockford.
Bogenrief was born Jan. 4, 1839, in New York state. While he spent several years in Marengo, his life took him all over the country, including a short stint in Canada. In 1909, he moved to Rockford. He died in 1929 at age 90, following “a brief illness from infirmities of age,” according to his obituary.
“Our records had never indicated, he was a Civil War veteran,” Krenek explained. “When a group was tracking all the Civil War veterans that were buried in Winnebago County and trying to get markers for them, they called to confirm he was here and asked us to facilitate getting him his marker.”
Krenek says after Bogenrief’s death, a newspaper article wrongly identified his resting place as Greenwood Cemetery on Auburn Street.
“Apparently, no one in his family or the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) or anyone else had ever investigated getting a marker,” said Krenek.
Civil War veteran Samuel H. Bogenrief was honored Thursday, June 26, during a gravestone dedication ceremony at Arlington Memorial Park in Rockford.
Bill Johnson, a member of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, says it’s important to and remember these soldiers who reunited a broken country.
“You know, these guys put out and changed to the whole system in the mid-1860s,” Johnson said. “Not just slavery, but state’s rights was a big part of what it was really was about.”
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War hope to locate the final resting places of all Union Civil War veterans. To learn more, visit the National Graves Registration Project website.
