Program on Civil War vet planned for Harrison
CADIZ — Beginning in 2003, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War embarked on the Last Soldier Project, with the purpose of locating and appropriately marking the final resting place of the last Civil War soldier buried in each county or parish and all states, according to officials of the Puskarich Public Library.
Members of Camp No. 1 Sons of Union Veterans will be recognizing the burial of Marion Barrett, the last Civil War veteran in Harrison County, at 11 a.m. on Oct. 15 at Union Cemetery. He was born June 16, 1840, in Cadiz Township and was a great-grandson of early Ohio settler and scout, William Huff, who killed the last Indian in Jefferson County, according to historians.
His father purchased 368 acres in Nottingham Township in 1845 and the land remains in the family.
Barrett, a farmer by trade, was in Company F. 98th Ohio Volunteer Infantry when it was formed in August 1862. He was enlisted by A.P. Lacey on Aug. 9 in Cadiz and reported at Steubenville on Aug. 22, a spokesman said.
He fought his only battle at Perryville, Ky., on Oct. 8, of that year, was shot in the ankle and had his haversack blown from his back. He came through it and afterwards participated in other regimental activities.
After the war he became a successful farmer and owned farms in Ohio and Missouri, according to historians. He married in 1895 and the couple had a child at his age of 56 years. His wife suffered from mental illness and was institutionalized and died in 1934.
Barrett attended a Civil War reunion in Columbus when he was 100 years old. At some point he was reported missing by the reunion organizers. The Harrison County sheriff was contacted and visited the family home to break the news of the old veteran’s disappearance.
The Civil War soldier never knew he was missing. The reunion bored him and he took the bus home early. Upon arriving in Cadiz, he decided to visit his niece, all the while oblivious to the excitement his early departure had caused.
At one time, he was pictured with other veterans at the 75th Gettysburg Reunion at the entry to the battlefield museum.
Barrett died at the age of 104 on either Oct. 14 or 15, 1944. He was Harrison County’s last Civil War veteran, and the program is being held to locate and appropriately mark the final resting place of the last Civil War soldier buried in the graveyard. To date, 30 counties have held ceremonies.
Immediately following the dedication of a plaque at the grave, Harrison County Historical Society President Scott Pendleton will give a tour of the cemetery.
This is co-sponsored by the Harrison County Historical Society and Puskarich Public Library. For information, call (740) 942-2623.
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