Civil War veteran John Kapsa's unmarked grave receives headstone after 105 years after death

He lay in an unmarked grave in Oakland Cemetery for 105 years until a smattering of volunteers recently decided to make a change.

On Monday, May 20, the Sons of the American Revolution, a federally chartered patriotic organization, erected a gravestone in Kapsa's honor. Tony Townsend of Marion and Mike Rowley of Clive installed a 240-pound marble stone provided by the Veterans Administration (VA), marking his grave more than a century after his death.

An immigrant soldier who fought for the North

Kapsa hailed from the Czech Republic and served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 13th U.S. Infantry during the Civil War, one of the oldest and most distinguished regiments in the United States Army.

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The 13th Infantry Regiment was constituted on July 16, 1798, during the Quasi-War with France and reconstituted on May 11, 1861, for service in the Civil War. It was reactivated as a part of the expansion of the Regular army. The Regiment participated in numerous battles during the war, including the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Battle of Vicksburg.

Kapsa was a key infantry member, serving as a personal bodyguard for "famed" Federal leader, General William Tecumseh Sherman, according to a Press-Citizen article after Kapsa’s death in December 1919.

Kapsa lived in the Iowa City community for several years after the way and passed away at his home at 1117 N. Dodge Street in 1919.

A mission to honor Civil War veterans

Rowley has been installing markers at unmarked veteran graves for more than 20 years. He has planted more than 300 headstones since 2019.

He estimates that several thousand unmarked graves litter the Iowa landscape, considering more than 70,000 Iowans served in the Union Army.

However, Rowley and other members of The Sons of the American Revolution don't only focus on Civil War Veterans but all fallen soldiers.

The path to recognition is relatively simple, Rowley said, and anyone can help.

"If a veteran has served and you can prove their service, so you need to find a military document that proves their service, then you submit an application, and you have to have approval from hopefully the family and the cemetery," Rowley said. "Then once you submit it to the VA, the stone is completely covered by the government. If approved, then we have volunteers to put it in and deliver it."

Memorializing local soldiers

Kapsa's headstone arrived a week before Memorial Day, a federal holiday that initially honored Civil War veterans. The day has expanded beyond the Civil War to honor all American servicemen and women who died in military service.

The new gravestone ensures that Kapsa will be remembered for generations.

"There's an old saying that there's three phases of death," Rowley said. "The first one is when life leaves the body. The second one is when your body enters its final resting place, and then the last time someone speaks your name.

We try to mark these graves so their name can be spoken at least one more time."

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached atJRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_