Veterans group to honor Highland County's last surviving soldier in Civil War
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A Chillicothe veterans organization will be honoring the grave sight of the last surviving Highland County veteran of the Civil War.
Michael Austin Garrett, the last surviving Highland County Union Civil War Veteran died May 23, 1945. Garrett served in Company A of the 175th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On Oct. 11, 1864, the 175th was organized at Camp Dennison in Ohio. The unit was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 23rd Army Corps, Army of the Ohio. The 175th participated in the Battles of Franklin and Nashville, during late 1864. In early 1865, they were assigned occupation and garrison duty in the Nashville area. The 175th was mustered out at Columbia, Tenn. on June 27, 1865.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) will honor Garrett, as the last Civil War Veteran of Highland County, by dedicating a bronze plaque placed near his grave marker. The Ceremony will be held on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., at the Prospect Cemetery, 1862 State Route 73. The Cemetery is located by the Prospect United Methodist Church.
Garrett (1847- 1945) is buried in Prospect Cemetery on Ohio state Route 73 and Prospect Road just south of Hillsboro with his wife, Mary Haig (1846- 1935), and son, George E. (1875-?).
Beginning in 2003, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) embarked on the Last Soldier Project. The purpose of the project is to locate and appropriately mark the final resting place of the last Civil War Soldier buried in each county/parish and in each state of this great country.
The Last Soldier project is funded, in part, by the SUVCW's Monuments and Memorials Grant Fund and also by obtaining contributions of the citizens, local veteran organizations, local business, and governmental agencies. The Last Soldier project marries the efforts of the SUVCW's grave registration and Monument restoration programs. Local SUV organizations may be found at www.suvcw.org.
In 1866, Union Veterans of the Civil War organized into the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and became a social and political force that would control the destiny of the nation for more than six decades. Membership in the veterans' organization was restricted to individuals who had served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War, thereby limiting the life span of the GAR. The GAR existed until 1956.
In 1881 the GAR formed the Sons of Veterans of the United States of America (SV) to carry on its traditions and memory long after the GAR had ceased to exist. Membership was open to any man who could prove ancestry to a member of the GAR or to a veteran eligible for membership in the GAR. In later years, men who did not have the ancestry to qualify for hereditary membership, but who demonstrated a genuine interest in the Civil War and could subscribe to the purpose and objectives of the SUVCW, were admitted as associates. This practice continues today.
Many GAR Posts sponsored Camps of the SV. In 1925 the SV name was changed to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), under which its federal charter was issued in 1954. The SUVCW is legally recognized as the heir to, and representative of, the GAR.
Today, the National Organization of the SUVCW, headed by an annually elected Commander-in-Chief, oversees the operation of 26 Departments, each consisting of one or more states, a Department-at-Large, a National Membership-at-Large, and over 200 community based Camps. More than 6,360 men enjoy the benefits of membership in the only male organization dedicated to the principles of the GAR - Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty. It publishes "The BANNER" quarterly for its members. The SUVCW National Headquarters is located in the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
A Chillicothe veterans organization will be honoring the grave sight of the last surviving Highland County veteran of the Civil War.
Michael Austin Garrett, the last surviving Highland County Union Civil War Veteran died May 23, 1945. Garrett served in Company A of the 175th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On Oct. 11, 1864, the 175th was organized at Camp Dennison in Ohio. The unit was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 23rd Army Corps, Army of the Ohio. The 175th participated in the Battles of Franklin and Nashville, during late 1864. In early 1865, they were assigned occupation and garrison duty in the Nashville area. The 175th was mustered out at Columbia, Tenn. on June 27, 1865.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) will honor Garrett, as the last Civil War Veteran of Highland County, by dedicating a bronze plaque placed near his grave marker. The Ceremony will be held on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., at the Prospect Cemetery, 1862 State Route 73. The Cemetery is located by the Prospect United Methodist Church.
Garrett (1847- 1945) is buried in Prospect Cemetery on Ohio state Route 73 and Prospect Road just south of Hillsboro with his wife, Mary Haig (1846- 1935), and son, George E. (1875-?).
Beginning in 2003, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) embarked on the Last Soldier Project. The purpose of the project is to locate and appropriately mark the final resting place of the last Civil War Soldier buried in each county/parish and in each state of this great country.
The Last Soldier project is funded, in part, by the SUVCW's Monuments and Memorials Grant Fund and also by obtaining contributions of the citizens, local veteran organizations, local business, and governmental agencies. The Last Soldier project marries the efforts of the SUVCW's grave registration and Monument restoration programs. Local SUV organizations may be found at www.suvcw.org.
In 1866, Union Veterans of the Civil War organized into the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and became a social and political force that would control the destiny of the nation for more than six decades. Membership in the veterans' organization was restricted to individuals who had served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War, thereby limiting the life span of the GAR. The GAR existed until 1956.
In 1881 the GAR formed the Sons of Veterans of the United States of America (SV) to carry on its traditions and memory long after the GAR had ceased to exist. Membership was open to any man who could prove ancestry to a member of the GAR or to a veteran eligible for membership in the GAR. In later years, men who did not have the ancestry to qualify for hereditary membership, but who demonstrated a genuine interest in the Civil War and could subscribe to the purpose and objectives of the SUVCW, were admitted as associates. This practice continues today.
Many GAR Posts sponsored Camps of the SV. In 1925 the SV name was changed to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), under which its federal charter was issued in 1954. The SUVCW is legally recognized as the heir to, and representative of, the GAR.
Today, the National Organization of the SUVCW, headed by an annually elected Commander-in-Chief, oversees the operation of 26 Departments, each consisting of one or more states, a Department-at-Large, a National Membership-at-Large, and over 200 community based Camps. More than 6,360 men enjoy the benefits of membership in the only male organization dedicated to the principles of the GAR - Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty. It publishes "The BANNER" quarterly for its members. The SUVCW National Headquarters is located in the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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