Big Sky Times

Local veterans have been working to preserve the headstones and resting places of Civil War veterans in the Virginia City cemetery, according to a KTVQ article published on Friday. Their efforts are considered important due to the cold weather and winds weathering several headstones away.

“I grew up for a short time in Pennsylvania five miles east of Gettysburg, so that’s where my interest in the Civil War started many years ago," said Air Force veteran Bob Reimard. "And to see these Civil War stones, it just didn’t sit right with me."

Reimard first noticed the decayed state of several Civil War-era headstones in 2019.

“They sunk into the ground a little bit, the writing is difficult to see,” Reimard said.

After Reimard and his wife searched through various county records and history books, they found the names of 18 Civil War veterans, as well as some Spanish-American War veterans, buried in Virginia City. The original headstones were removed and put in a cement foundation along with new brick engraved with each veteran's full name.

Next, Reimard installed a memorial wall with the names of two dozen Civil War veterans buried in unmarked graves at the Sheridan Cemetery. The original marker was so old that the names were nearly impossible to read.

“These are veterans, 150 years ago, but still these are our veterans," Reimard said. "We felt they deserved the respect that we would give a veteran today." 

He also recalled a headstone so worn down that only the last name "Todd" was barely readable, with no first name initial to be found. Following a decent amount of research, Reimard identified the veteran as Lockwood Todd.

“Headstones are transitory and all like that, but we’ve saved names and now they’re out there. It’s not going to last forever, but, you know, they’re staying. It’s not going to vanish on our watch,” said Sheridan American Legion Post Commander Cliff Morgan.