Civil War won't be forgotten while camp's around

By Staci Dennis

Correspondent

Tom Grund works to keep the Civil War alive in others' minds.

"I want to bring honor to the people who fought and died in our own country. I also want the public to be aware of what the Union did," he said.

Grund, 45, who's senior vice commander of Col. James D. Brady Camp No. 63 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, knows he's crossed the Mason-Dixon line. But that doesn't stop him.

When he was 10, his grandmother told him that her grandfather fought for the Union. In 1997, when stationed in Washington, D.C., Grund started researching his genealogy.

He found his great-, great-grandfather, Jacob W. Moyer, served with the Pennsylvania infantry.

"Being a part of this organization truly honors (him)," said Grundd, who has been in the Brady Camp since 2005. "Our goal is to promote history and celebrate the past."

The group met this mont h at Gus and George's Spaghetti & Steak House on Virginia Beach Boulevard. The nonprofit Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a patriotic and educational organization founded in 1881.

Brady Camp No. 63 started in 2003 and serves eastern Virginia. The "63" in its name stands fo r the 63rd New York Volunteer Infantry of the Irish Brigade, which fought in this area, and is named in honor of its last colonel.

"This is a way to keep history alive," said John Moscoe, the camp's patriotic instructor and Web master. "For the first time as Americans, we had a war that wasn't about a land dispute or who was going to be leaders. It was about freedom for everyone."

Moscoe, 52, joined th e camp in 2005. After researching his genealogy, he found his ancestors fought on both the Confederate and Union sides.

"A lot of people are like me," the Salem Lakes resident said. "People have ancestors who fought for the North and the South."

James Brady, for example, was a Portsmouth native who moved to New York to escape the yellow fever epidemic. While there, the war broke out, so he was forced to fight for the Union.

Eventually, Brady became a congressman and worked toward reconciliation.

Membership is open to those with or without Civil War ancestors. An initial joining fee of $34 is required. After that, dues are $24 a year.

The group, which has 48 members, meets once a quarter in various sections of the region. Members also visit local battle grounds and grave sites, participat e in the Wreaths Across America program and help maintain Union graves.

Gr und, of Suffolk, is working with a park ranger to discover the identity o f an unknown solider buried at Yorktown National Cemetery.

"We have the chance to celebrate those people who fought and died in the Civil War," Moscoe said. "That's why I love it so much."

Information: Col. James D. Brady Camp No. 6 3 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 271-3778 or http://suvcw63.org/

Staci Dennis, sdennis@cox.net