Friendship Cemetery to be forefront of Civil War unmarked grave project

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – History prepares to unfold right here in Columbus.

The U.S. Grant Association and Presidential Library, Billup-Grath Foundation and The University Of Mississippi’s Center for Archaeological Research are co-sponsoring a project to locate unmarked graves of Union Soldiers, suspected to be buried in the historic Friendship Cemetery.

Thursday, local historian Rufus Ward announced details of the project citing that records show possibly over 10 Union Soldiers’ graves sit in the far left corner of the cemetery.

The goal is to locate the graves without even breaking the surface.

“Fortunately we have the technology that will allow us to come in and do some surveys in an non-invasive way,” Ole Miss Archaeologist Tony Boudreaux continued. “I don’t want anyone to have the impression that we will be doing any excavation at all. Once we come do our survey and leave there will be no evidence what so ever that we were even here.”

“If we can find something here, I’m hopeful that in the future we can raise money and put up a proper memorial to these Union Soldier who are here,” said historian Rufus Ward.

Ward says the project will officially begin in September or October of this year.