Local Civil War Vets Honored at Mountain View Cemetery (Photos)

The Civil War and its local impact took center stage at Mountain View Cemetery on a warm Memorial Day afternoon as local historian Nick Smith and others shared knowledge and insight about local soldiers and citizens who found a way to make their own mark in Civil War history.

Smith told the crowd of dozens that he and other researches discovered more than 600 Civil War veterans are buried at the cemetery.

The majority of them belong to the Union, but there are about 15 Confederate troops also buried there, Smith said, one of whom actually served on the board of the Tournament of Roses.

"What we're trying to do is keep the memories of some of these veterans alive long after they died," Smith said. "I got started on this because of a very delayed funeral here. Seven years ago, a headstone was put in place for a Confederate veteran. What happened was he was buried in the early 1900s with no headstone. His descendants decided it would nice to finally get him a headstone, and invited a bunch of people up here for the ceremony. I started asking around, 'How many Civil War veterans are in this cemetery?' And no one knew."

Among the highlights of the event were a walking tour pointing out several local graves, with Smith sharing some of the tales surrouding the people in them. A quartet of Confederate re-enactors were also on hand to for a gun salute to veterans.

The most elaborate display was the grave of Thaddeus Lowe, a Pasadena businessman -- not a soldier -- who was known as the "most shot-at man in the Civil War", according to costumed performers Steven and Patrice Demory, who portrayed Thaddeus Lowe and his wife for the crowd to share Lowe's story. Lowe founded the U.S. Balloon Corps, which laid the conceptual groundwork for aerial surveillance and eventually the Air Force. 

If you were at the event and wanted to share more photos and stories, please do so!