Honoring forgotten heroes: Eagle Scout project replaces broken Civil War headstones at Bluff City Cemetery

Three long-forgotten Civil War soldiers were honored anew on Memorial Day weekend as new headstones were installed at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin, replacing damaged and unreadable markers that had stood for over a century.

The restoration project was the final phase of an Eagle Scout service project led by Drew Douglas in the fall of 2024.

Among the veterans remembered was Private Albert Force, a 15-year-old soldier from Company C of the 153rd Illinois Infantry.

Force died in Cairo, Illinois, just three days after his unit was mustered out of service in September 1865 — his sacrifice a tragic reminder of the youth and courage that defined so many soldiers of the Civil War.

Working closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Lee Lasseigne, secretary of the General Philip H. Sheridan Camp #2 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Lasseigne researched the soldiers’ service records and coordinated the replacement process.

The project was completed with the help of community volunteers and members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

“This was a great way to honor these veterans and all the others that paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom,” said Matt Clark, Illinois Department Eagle Scout coordinator and a member of the Philip Sheridan Camp #2. “To see a young man like Drew take such care to preserve the memory of a soldier like Albert Force — just 15 years old — is incredibly meaningful, especially on a weekend when we pause to remember the cost of our liberty.”

The restored markers now stand clean and legible, a testament to the enduring gratitude of a nation and the commitment of a new generation to remembering those who came before.