Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

St. Louis Trip, Day 2 - Saturday, July 25, 2015

The site I most wanted to see in St. Louis was my great great great uncle Philander Lockard's grave.  Philander and his brother John both volunteered for the Union army during the Civil War.  Philander died at age 24 of typhoid in St. Louis on December 8th, 1861.  John, 25 years old, was wounded April 6th, 1862 during the Battle of Shiloh, and died on May 25th in Waterloo, Iowa on his way back home. 

The gravestone where John is buried at one of our local family cemeteries commemorates both him and his brother Philander, and I had always thought they were both buried there.  But upon further research, I found that Philander was actually buried at Jefferson Barracks.

You may notice that his name is spelled incorrectly as "Lockhart" on the gravestone.  The cemetery office was not open for complaints while we were there, but after having his name misspelled for the last 154 years, I doubt if he minds too much.  It was shocking and saddening how many stones from the same time frame are marked "Unknown, U.S. Soldier."  We are very fortunate to know the fate of our family members, however sad.

War is a terrible thing, taking the lives of young men (and now also women) at their prime.  John and Philander had no families of their own.  My great great great grandfather, Ira Lockard, born in 1856, was only a small child at the time of his brothers' deaths.

Above are their parents, William Lockard (1814-1895) and Elizabeth Steinbarger Lockard (1817-1890).  The whole family moved to Iowa in 1850 and built their own log cabin.  You may notice the sadness (stronger than the usual sobriety in older portraits) in Elizabeth's face.  The Lockards were very successful farmers, but besides losing John and Philander, they lost their only daughter, Mary, who died at age 15, and two infant sons Philip and Isaac.  Only Ira Sanford, George Washington (1844-1907), and Thomas Jefferson Lockard survived.  

I do wish we had photos of John and Philander.  It would be nice if we could read the letters that must have been exchanged between the family members during the Civil War, so we could know what they actually thought at the time.

Why did my family choose to fight for the Union?  Was it simply because they were Iowans, or did they have deeper reasons?  Could the Civil War have been avoided?  I have a lot of questions.  I'm sure my grandpa Ira had a lot of questions as a 5-year-old when his brothers left and never returned alive.  But for now, I must be content with visiting their graves and honoring their memory and sacrifice.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery is a remarkable, awe-inspiring place.  It is well-maintained, and part of it overlooks the Mississippi River.  Among the graves we saw deer nibbling on the grass and fledglings lighting on the stones.  I have visited a lot of cemeteries, but have never seen so many stones, commemorating veterans from so many wars, perfectly aligned, in one location.  Many have served, and many have given their all to preserve our nation.

"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it." 

--John Adams