Civil War re-enactors brave chilly weather for Warrenville tribute

Abraham Stevens' name isn't etched on any prominent memorials.

Most people who live in Warrenville probably have no idea the Civil War veteran of the 8th Illinois Cavalry is even buried in the local cemetery along Warrenville Road.

But on Sunday, about two dozen people, including members of the 8th Illinois Cavalry re-enactment group, gathered around Stevens' grave to pay tribute to the veteran.

Stevens was a carriage maker who raised seven children in Warrenville before enlisting at age 49 to fight for the Union.

"We're here to remember him as well as all other veterans who fought during difficult times," said Jesse Martinez, a member of the re-enactment group. Then Martinez and six other group members, dressed in period outfits, fired off three rounds in the brief Veterans Day ceremony.

Mark Hess, one of the members, drove from Bourbonnais to take part in the event.

"We can't afford to forget what those who we followed did for us," Hess said. "We're out here today standing in the sort of weather these people fought through for three to four years."

Jenny Lund, a local volunteer and daughter of former Mayor Vivian Lund, came to pay her respects.

"We have to appreciate what these folks did for us," Lund said. "We always think of ourselves as so far removed from war. But these people fought, and in some cases, died for us."

Warrenville Mayor David Brummel also took part in the ceremony, one of several Veterans Day events held over the weekend in DuPage County.

"It's certainly one thing to look at pictures (of Civil War-era) soldiers in a book," Brummel said. "It's quite another to look upon people who look like they came right out of that book."