Charlevoix County Civil War veteran honored with graveside ceremony

MELROSE TOWNSHIP — Nearly 90 years after his death, Corporal Royal Bradford Teachout's life was celebrated once again, with a graveside ceremony.

On Saturday, June 22, the Robert Finch Camp No. 14 of The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War made their way to Maple Hill Cemetery to honor Teachout, the last surviving Civil War veteran in Charlevoix County when he died Nov. 1, 1937. He was 94 years old.

Born June 2, 1843 in Hillsdale County to Sgt. Enoch Peck Teachout and Maria Wealthy Hopkins Teachout, Teachout enlisted for a three-year term on Aug. 4, 1862 for the Battery B, Ohio 1st Light Artillery.

He mustered out Aug. 13, 1863 on a surgeon's certificate of disability. He reenlisted Aug. 31, 1864 as a private before being promoted to corporal. He mustered out again June 16, 1865, according to a press release.

Teachout married Amanda D. Mason on Dec. 13, 1863, and the couple had six known children together. They are buried together at Maple Hill Cemetery.

Robert Finch Camp No. 14, which hosted the ceremony, is the oldest active Camp in the state, dating back to March 26, 1914. The Camp serves 16 counties in Northern Michigan, according to the Camp website.

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Camp 14 is a part of a statewide effort to locate and document the resting places of every Civil War solider in Michigan. So far, more than 1,500 graves have been located in the region.

Representatives for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War could not immediately be reached for comment.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham atkgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN.