Chapter seeks site of Civil War mass grave

Confederates may be buried near Calwood

Where are the dead buried from the Callaway County's largest battle during the Civil War?

That's a puzzle members of the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans want to solve.

As part of its observance of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Moore's Mill, the organization will attempt to identify the dead from the battle and locate the mass grave of perhaps two dozen Confederates buried in the Calwood area.

The chapter is asking for help from Callaway County area residents by providing the names of their ancestors who died in the battle, and also the locations of their graves, if known.

Noel Crowson, commander of the Fulton-based Elijah Gates Camp No. 570 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, hopes the project can be completed in a year. Its centerpiece would be a monument at the location of the mass grave.

Anyone who can provide information about the names and grave locations of veterans of the battle can contact the camp's monuments chairman, Don Ernst, at 573-642-0570, or call Commander Crowson at 573-386-5786.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.