Home at Last: Remembering a Civil War Soldier This Veterans Day

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By Kevin Fox (original story, 2005) — Updated for Veterans Day 2025

MEMPHIS, Mo. — One hundred and sixty years after the guns of the Civil War fell silent, the story of Corporal John Payton Byrne still echoes through northeast Missouri — reminding us that Veterans Day is not just about the past, but about the enduring promise to never forget those who served.

In May 2005, the quiet town of Memphis became the scene of what many called the last Civil War funeral. On that Memorial Day weekend, history quite literally came home, as Byrne — a Union soldier born in Scotland County — was laid to rest beside his brother Harrison Byrne in the Memphis Cemetery. His remains had spent 85 years in an urn in California before being reclaimed by his great-grandniece, Margaret Gordon, who made it her mission to bring him back to Missouri.

That remarkable homecoming remains one of the most moving tributes to military service this region has ever witnessed — and this Veterans Day, it continues to remind us why we pause to remember.

A Brother’s Promise, A Nation’s Debt

John and Harrison Byrne grew up in Memphis and were among the earliest Missourians to take up arms for the Union. The brothers fought at the Battle of Athens in neighboring Clark County — one of the northernmost engagements of the war. Harrison was wounded there, while John continued to serve until the war’s end.

Afterward, John Byrne moved west, living out his days in California. He died in 1920, far from home, and his ashes sat forgotten for generations. When Margaret Gordon discovered his remains in 2003, she vowed to fulfill his final wish: to rest beside his brother in the soil of his hometown.

Two years later, that promise was kept. Hundreds of people — descendants, historians, and reenactors — gathered from across the country for his burial. The streets of Memphis filled with the sounds of drums, fifes, and the rhythmic steps of Civil War soldiers brought back to life through reenactors’ devotion.

A Ceremony of Honor and Healing

The 2005 service was steeped in pageantry and reverence. The coffin, draped in an American flag, was carried by pallbearers from the chapel as a lone bagpiper played traditional Irish tunes. The horse-drawn hearse rolled slowly toward the cemetery, followed by young “lads and lassies” scattering rose petals along the route — a symbolic bridge between generations.

At graveside, Roger Shannon performed “Going Home”, followed by the folding and presentation of the American flag. Members of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Daughters of Union Veterans, and representatives from every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces took part. An infantry volley cracked through the still air, followed by an artillery salute and the haunting, echoing notes of “Taps.”

When the final shots faded, so did a century of unfinished farewell. Corporal John Payton Byrne was, at last, home.

Why His Story Still Matters

As we mark Veterans Day 2025, Byrne’s story carries new meaning. His journey home was more than a historical curiosity — it was a testament to America’s enduring gratitude. It showed that no matter how many years pass, our duty to remember never expires.

From the fields of Athens to the deserts of Iraq, from the trenches of France to the mountains of Afghanistan, men and women have answered the same call — to serve something greater than themselves. Their uniforms may have changed, but their courage and sacrifice remain constant.

The funeral of a Civil War soldier in 2005 wasn’t just a chapter in history — it was a reminder that the torch of remembrance must always be carried forward.

Veterans Day: A Living Legacy

This Veterans Day, as flags flutter in cemeteries across Missouri, the grave of Corporal Byrne stands as quiet proof that the past still speaks — if we take time to listen.

He represents every veteran who never made it home, and every family who waited. He represents the bonds of brotherhood that time cannot break, and the promise that our communities — from Memphis to Kahoka to every corner of northeast Missouri — will keep honoring their names.

Because remembering isn’t just something we do once a year. It’s how we say thank you — across generations, across wars, and across the years that fade between them.