Forgotten no more: Marker will be dedicated for Civil War soldier from Coshocton County

NEW BEDFORD ‒ Coshocton County native Solomon Duncan served four years in the Union Army during the Civil War, surviving the conflict unscathed.

But he didn't make it home alive.

Five months after the surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House, Va., Duncan, 27, succumbed to disease on Sept. 8, 1865, while his unit, the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI), was stationed in Victoria, Texas. He was buried by his comrades in an unmarked grave, the location of which has been lost to time.

Soon, though, a marker will be erected at Zion Cemetery in New Bedford to keep his memory alive.

The marker will be dedicated at a ceremony at the cemetery on May 19. The program will begin at 1 p.m. with music provided by Steve and Linda Ball performing Civil War-era music. A reenactment group, the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, will dedicate the marker, which will be placed next to the grave of Solomon's parents, John and Elizabeth Duncan.

One of 15 children

Solomon was born July 20, 1838, near the now-forgotten village of Mound in northern Coshocton County, according to local historian Larry Stahl. Solomon was the seventh of 15 children. He was one of five brothers in the family who served in the Civil War.

When the war began, Duncan enlisted on Sept. 10, 1861, joining the 51st OVI, a regiment raised primary in Tuscarawas and Coshocton counties. He was mustered into Company H at Camp Meigs (now the Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds) in Dover.

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"Solomon was evidently well liked as he was immediately commissioned one of eight corporals assigned to guard the color-bearer sergeant," Stahl wrote in an account of Duncan's life. "These eight men along with the sergeant were considered the bravest men in the regiment. The flag to the men was sacred and was to be protected at all costs. The flag bearer knew he was to give his life before he surrendered the flag. The opposing side considered it one of the greatest acts of war to capture the opposing regiment’s flag and would always be making an effort to secure it, thus the flag bearer was always a target and always in danger."

According to records from the National Archives in Washington, Duncan was 5 feet 10 inches tall with dark eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion.

Heavy fighting

The 51st OVI saw heavy fighting during the war, suffering a total of 346 casualties. That included 32 men killed, 105 men wounded, and 46 men captured during the Battle of Stones River, Tenn., fought between Dec. 31, 1862, and Jan. 2, 1863, Stahl wrote.

In October 1864 the 51st was at Villnow Station, Ga., when the soldiers' three-year term of service ended, and they were officially mustered out. The U.S government promised them a 30-day furlough if they would reenlist. The majority of the men reenlisted, including Duncan.

As the war came to an end, the regiment was moved to Texas in the summer of 1865 to finish out its time in the service. The diary of Francis Wolfe says, “September 8, (1865) Solomon Duncan died." Presumably, this was from disease. He was only two days short of his fourth year in the service.

After the war, veterans began joining a fraternal organization called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Local posts were named for soldiers killed in the war. When the New Bedford post of the GAR was formed, it was named for Duncan.

A stone memorial was erected in the Keene Cemetery in 1883 with names of local veterans, Stahl wrote. This stone still exists and has the names of the Duncan brothers inscribed upon it, including “S. Duncan.”

Project of Sugarcreek American Legion

Sugarcreek American Legion Post No. 494 spearheaded the project to get a grave marker for Solomon Duncan. The effort was led by Trent Johnson, a Tennessee resident who is an expert on the 51st OVI and operates a Facebook page dedicated to the regiment, and Jeff Schrock of Sugarcreek, a member of the Legion post there.

Organizers hope that members of Duncan's family will attend the dedication ceremony.

For more information, contact Shrock at at jschrock1017@frontier.com.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Civil War soldier from Coshocton County will finally get grave marker