Primary Document 1  Monument plaque. Photo taken 7/5/14.

South Side
Crane, Gurley G., 2ND LIEUT. CO. F 29TH REGT. O.V. INF.
Eadie, Henry F. CO. I 2nd O.V. CAV.
Hagle, Isidore
Ingalls, Hiram CO. B 6th O.V. CAV.
Murphy, John 13TH REGT. U.S.A.
Schnabel, John G. 6TH OHIO BATTERY

North Side
CO. G 115h REGT. O.V. INF.
Eadie, John, LIEUT. [S]
Eadie, John W. [S]
Ely, John C. 1st SGT. [S]
Gaylord, Robert [S]
Goodrich, Arthur K., Musician
Nealy, C. [S]
Purine, Frank B.
Woods, Isaac J. [S]

On the front of the monument, etched in stone, is a line derived from Horace’s Odes. In Latin, the phrase “Dulce et decorum pro patria mori” appears, which commonly reads in English as “It is sweet and right to die for your country.” Readers might also be familiar with Wilfred Owen’s treatment of Horace’s words in Wilfred’s famous anti-war poem “Dulce et Decorum est.” “Dulce et decorum pro patria mori” or, alternately, “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” appears frequently on monuments and tombs of departed soldiers.

Figure 4  Dulce et decorum pro patria mori. Photo taken 7/5/14.

Many of the Civil War burials are victims of the Sultana disaster. On April 27, 1865, the SS Sultana steamboat exploded on the Mississippi River. Of the estimated 2,400 on board, over 1,700 died. The boat was overloaded with captured Union troops. It is still the worst maritime disaster in United States history. More life was lost on the Sultana than in other infamous naval disasters, like the Titanic’s sinking in 1912.[3]

[1] Vigil, Vicki Blum. Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories. Cleveland: Gray, 2007. Print. p. 310.
[2] Ibid. p. 310.

[3] Huffman, Alan. "Surviving the Worst: The Wreck of the Sultana at the End of the American Civil War." Mississippi History Now. Mississippi Historical Society, Oct. 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

[4] Vigil, Vicki Blum. Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories. Cleveland: Gray, 2007. Print. p. 310.

Location:
Cuyahoga Falls,  Summit County,  Ohio. Oakwood Cemetery, near the historic Oakwood Cemetery Chapel.

History:
The Oakwood Cemetery Civil War Memorial, located in Cuyahoga Falls’ Oakwood Cemetery, is the oldest Civil War monument in Summit County.[1] The cemetery, which dates back to at least the 1830s, is the final resting place of at least 160 Civil War veterans.[2] One of the more famous veterans is William Plum, a military telegrapher and author.

Figure 1 Naval Relief. Photo taken 7/5/14.

Oakwood Cemetery Civil War Memorial, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Primary Documents:
- Monument plaque:

Memorial to soldiers who served in the Union Army during the Civil War
S – Indicates those whose lives were lost on the Mississippi steamer, Sultana, when it blew up at Memphis, Tenn. 4-27-1865.

There are four reliefs etched into the sides of the monument, displaying symbols of war and the military. These symbols include an anchor and American flag, three rifles, a cannon, and two cavalry swords. According to Vivki Blum Vigil, these symbols refer to four branches or divisions of the military: the Navy, Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry respectively. Also according to Vigil, an ornamental eagle was once perched on top the monument. However, the eagle has either fallen off or has been taken down since.[4]

Figure 5 Monument with chapel in background.

Photo taken 7/5/14.

Figure 2 Civil War Memorial.

Photo taken 7/5/14.

East Side
CO. G 115TH Regt. O.V. INF.
Cook, James C. [S]
Evans, Thomas [S]
Holden, Geo. Lincoln
Lowry, D.N. [S]
Lyons, William
McGrath, David
Patterson, James J. [S]

West Side
BATT. D. 1ST O.V.L. ART.
Blood, Seneca
Condon, John
Green, Edward
Green, Robert
Lyons, John B.
Moon, Charles E.
Patterson, John A., CORP.
Shellhorn, John

Figure 6 Civil War Memorial.

Photo taken 7/5/14.

Figure 3 Faded inscriptions.

Photo taken 7/5/14.