A remembrance ceremony will soon pay tribute to Union soldiers buried far from the battlefields where they once fought.
Hosted by the New Brunswick Historical Society and the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, Co. I re-enactment group, the ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on May 24, at the grave of Dr. John F. Stevenson in the Saint Andrews Rural Cemetery.
The service will follow traditional Grand Army of the Republic graveside rites and honour six Civil War veterans in total—four resting in the Rural Cemetery and two more in the nearby Roman Catholic cemetery.
The event is part of a decades-long effort to recognize the estimated 10,000 Atlantic Canadians who served in the American Civil War, of which close to 5,500 have been identified—many of whom later returned, or were returned, to Canadian soil.
“The American Civil War changed the face of North America, and it affected Canada more than people realize,” said Troy Middleton, vice-president of the New Brunswick Historical Society and a long-time Civil War researcher. “Some of these men left before the war in search of work in the U.S., but many went down specifically to serve.”
Among those being remembered is Dr. John F. Stevenson, a Saint Andrews native who graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1861 and later joined the 29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment as a surgeon. The unit, one of the African-American regiments formed after the Emancipation Proclamation, saw Stevenson—a white man from Canada—serve alongside Black soldiers, including several fellow Canadians.
Stevenson’s service ended in tragedy. While stationed in Texas with the Union Army’s occupation forces after the war, he fell ill and was granted leave to return home. He died en route in New York and was brought back to Saint Andrews for burial.
The centrepiece of Saturday’s ceremony will be a remarkable artifact—Dr. Stevenson’s own Civil War sword. The ceremonial weapon, engraved with his name and regiment, was recently returned to New Brunswick after a successful fundraising campaign by local historians, including Middleton, who acquired it from a collector in Ontario.
“Every Union medical officer was entitled to carry a ceremonial sword, and Stevenson’s has his name and regiment engraved on it,” Middleton said. “It really belongs here, and now it’s back.”
This fall, the sword will be displayed at the New Brunswick Military History Museum in Oromocto as part of a new exhibit on Atlantic Canadians and the Civil War.
The grave of Civil War soldier Charles Norris in the Saint Andrews Rural Cemetery. (Jeff Lively/The Courier)
Also being honoured is Charles Norris, a veteran buried near Stevenson who was born into slavery in Maryland around 1844. Norris joined the 43rd U.S. Colored Troops and later settled in St. Andrews. Through years of research, Middleton has traced three local Saint Andrews men—the Gillespie brothers—who served in the same regiment.
“Again, it’s one of those things,” Middleton said. “I picture them sitting around the campfire, and Charles asking, ‘Where are you guys from?’”
Adding further depth to Charlotte County’s Civil War legacy is the story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, a young woman from Magaguadavic Lake who disguised herself as a man to enlist in the Union Army under the name Franklin Thompson. She later served as a field nurse and spy. Her military service was recognized by the U.S. government with a pension.
“She’s a bit of a legend, but we have enough documentation to know she was real,” Middleton said. “She wanted to fight—and did. Her bravery reminds us how deeply this war resonated even in rural corners of New Brunswick. It wasn’t just a U.S. affair. It shaped the direction of our country too.”
Middleton noted that the war’s political aftermath helped shape Canada itself.
“The threat of American aggression and the Fenian Raids that followed pushed the colonies to unite for mutual defense,” he said. “The Civil War helped create the Canada we know today.”
The ceremony is part of an ongoing effort by the 20th Maine re-enactment group to locate and honour Civil War graves across Atlantic Canada—nearly 200 have been identified so far. The group performs authentic memorial rites modelled on those once carried out by the Grand Army of the Republic, the postwar Union veterans’ organization.
Even Sergeant Blue, Middleton’s chihuahua and the group’s official mascot, will be in attendance dressed in miniature Union blues.
“He outranks me,” Middleton joked. “I’m just a corporal—he’s a sergeant.”
While the American Civil War is often seen through a U.S. lens, Middleton hopes ceremonies like this one help Canadians reconnect with their own role in that defining conflict.
“Many of these men and women were Canadians who answered the call to fight for freedom,” he said. “They deserve to be remembered. These were our people. Their stories are our stories.”
The public is invited to attend the graveside service on Saturday, May 24, at 1 p.m. at the Saint Andrews Rural Cemetery.
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