Union soldier's headstone corrected after decades

[July 27, 2010]  VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) -- The headstone of a former slave and Union soldier no longer identifies him as a member of the Confederate army, after his family failed to notice the error for years.

More than 100 of Samuel Brown Sr.'s surviving descendants and Civil War buffs in period dress gathered at Vallejo's Sunrise Memorial Cemetery on Saturday for the dedication of his new headstone.

Brown was born into slavery in Georgia in 1833. He joined the Union Army after he was emancipated and served for about one year. How the 90-year-old was buried under a Confederate headstone at the northern California cemetery remains unknown.

A cemetery employee spotted the mistake and contacted the Sons of Union Veterans.

The memorial organization held the dedication with the American Civil War Association, a war-reenactment group.

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/

[Associated Press]

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