Civil War headstone to be fixed after 154 years

Grave marker for Confederate fighter had wrong name.

COLUMBUS, OHIO — It’s never too late to fix some mistakes.

A Civil War soldier misidentified when he was buried at an Ohio cemetery more than 150 years ago is to get a new headstone.

Confederate soldier Augustus Beckmann was fatally wounded in the Battle of Shiloh on April 7, 1862. But he was buried at the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery in Columbus under the wrong name, A. Bergman, and wrong company.

Beckmann’s brother’s great-great-grandson, Greg Beckman, discovered the error when he visited Camp Chase, the site of a prison camp for captured Confederates, last Memorial Day.

Beckman, who teaches government at a high school in Placentia, Calif., pulled together the necessary documentation and asked the National Cemetery Administration to fix the headstone. He recently learned his request was approved.

An administration spokeswoman says approved stones are typically in place within 60 days.

Beckman’s great-great grandfather, William Beckmann, was Augustus’ brother. The two came to America from present-day Germany between 1858 and 1860 and enlisted in the 2nd Texas Infantry in Galveston.

“William never learned the fate of his brother, as August was buried under the wrong surname of Bergman all those years,” Beckman said. “The last time they saw one another was on the battlefield of Shiloh.”

August Beckmann was buried under the name Bergman at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, and the incorrect name followed him when his remains and those of 30 other soldiers were removed in 1869 and reinterred at Camp Chase.

Beckman said he was happy to visit his relative’s gravesite, but wasn’t content with the incorrect inscription.

“I knew something had to be done about it,” he said.