On February 15, 1863, Captain Burger, who was only 14 at the time, and 15 others, heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 Confederate cavalrymen.
ST PAUL, Minn. — 105 years after his death, a Minnesota Civil War veteran finally received military honors at his burial site Saturday in St. Paul. Captain Joseph Burger, who is the grandfather of former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War at the age of 13, convincing the recruiter that he was 18.Â
On February 15th, 1863, Burger, who was only 14 at the time, and 15 others heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 Confederate Cavalrymen. All 16 men received the medal of honor for their actions, but Burger’s headstone had not reflected such honor until Saturday’s Headstone Medallion ceremony at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul.
“It was beautiful,” said Burger’s relative Amy Burger-Sanchez. “I mean, such a great reminder that history is a living thing, and it’s wonderful to see people value it and carry on the traditions.”
“Whether from the Civil War or World War Two, we remain committed to honoring our veterans from previous generations,” said Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Brad Lindsay.Â
Burger’s life began in Austria before his family moved to the United States when he was a toddler. At the age of 6, both of his parents passed away from cholera, making him an orphan.Â
“He then ended up in Minnesota, came on an orphan train, and worked as a farmhand, and then decided to enlist in the Civil War,” Burger-Sanchez said.
Burger served until the age of 17. He went on to start a family and practice law, before serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1881 through 1882.
At the ceremony, 16 additional headstones were dedicated to Civil War veterans who have been in unmarked graves for decades.
