Ceremony Held At Christ Church To Honor Civil War Hero
By Molly Daly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A ceremony was held at historic Christ Church Burial Ground in Old City to honor a Philadelphia native who was killed in action near the end of the Civil War.
As a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly fluttered overhead, a small crowd gathered before the McEuen family plot, where Major Charles Izard McEuen was buried in 1865 with military honors in an unmarked grave.
The organizers of the ceremony hope to rectify that. Christ Church Burial Ground Coordinator John Hopkins says Major McEuen is in good company.
"We also have Colonel Edward Buncombe, who died in the Revolutionary War of his injuries in the Battle of Germantown, and many other veterans. We like to say that there are probably more patriots and military heroes in this burial ground than any non-military burial ground in the country," Hopkins explains.
For young New Yorker Nicolas Olbrys, the burial ground was much more than a leafy garden of stone.
"It's really cool -- a lot of spirits around here. I feel it. It's awesome."
