GRAVETTE - Twenty-seven Confederate soldiers were remembered and honored Saturday afternoon at the Georgia Flat Cemetery, southwest of Gravette, when a marker listing their names was unveiled.

Culminating almost 10 years of research by a Gravette woman, Nancy Feroe, the ceremony also provided hearing a history concerning the short-lived Civil War training camp, Camp Jackson, which existed near the cemetery during the early days of the Civil War.

Almost 100 persons attended the event, braving the 100-degree heat. It included a tribute by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and a rifle salute by Civil War re-enactors.

Ironically, the ceremony took place almost exactly 152 years after Camp Jackson came into existence on a similar early September day. Soldiers of the Confederate 4th Arkansas Infantry had marched into northwest Arkansas from Missouri and set up the camp on Sept. 5, 1861.

The camp had a short-lived history. The units broke camp scarcely a month later, Oct. 12 of that year. They soon began a march back into Missouri to join other Confederate forces near Carthage.

Twenty-seven soldiers died during the month at the camp, not from military engagement but from measles and complications of that disease. They had been exposed to the diseaseduring an outbreak while they were still in Missouri.

The 27 who died were buried in an unmarked grave, and it is they whose names are on the bronze marker near a row of unmarked graves in the cemetery. Twenty-seven flags formed a line marking the graves just inside the cemetery fence boundary. Several unmarked graves have also been discovered just outside that fence line.The Program

Opening the half-hour program at one o’clock Saturday was Nancy Feroe, who welcomed the crowd of about 100 persons who gathered under shade trees in the cemetery. Following the invocation by Gordon Hale, a brief memorial tribute for such an occasion was given by Amber Friday, president of the Prairie Grove Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Placement of a wreath by the Georgia Flat Cemetery Association and unveiling the bronze marker which listed the names of the honored soldiers was followed by a brief and interestinghistory of Camp Jackson by Nancy Feroe. (See related story).

Members of the 15th Arkansas Infantry re-enactors, commanded by Steve Bailey of Bentonville, marched into fi ringposition just north of the marker. The 20 rifl emen fired a three-volley salute honoring the fallen soldiers. Retiring to their positions near the assembled crowd, “Taps” was sounded and the benediction was given by Gordon Hale.

A rousing rendition of “Dixie” by all of the re-enactors was a fi tting conclusion to the program.

News, Pages 1 on 09/11/2013