Information courtesy of the MN Civil War Commemoration Task Force
Event: Civil War Grave Rededication Ceremony
Date: April 7, 2012
Place: Oakland Cemetery, 927 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sponsor: Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force
The Civil War grave of Captain William Acker, 16th United States Infantry, will be re-dedicated at a ceremony at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul on Saturday April 7 beginning at 11 a.m. He was the only Minnesota soldier killed at the Battle of Shiloh, which occurred on April 6-7, 1862, whose remains were returned to Minnesota for burial.
Acker was commissioned a captain in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry on April 29, 1861 and was wounded at the Battle of Bull Run on July 22 of that year. He resigned from the 1st Minnesota to become captain of the 16th U.S. Infantry Company C on Aug. 8, 1861. He was killed in action at the Battle of Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., on April 7, 1862 at the age of 27. This ceremony will mark the 150th Anniversary of Captain Acker’s passing, and will also highlight the contributions of the 1st Minnesota Light Artillery, which was also at Shiloh.
The ceremony is free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Oakland Cemetery is located at 927 Jackson Street in St. Paul. The event will be held in the Soldiers Rest Area of the cemetery and is sponsored by the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force which Governor Dayton established last year, and is the first in a series of events designed to highlight the sacrifices of Minnesotans in the Civil War.
