FOUR OAKS, N.C., March 17 (UPI) -- Nearly 150 years after the end of the American Civil War, a monument was dedicated to Union soldiers in North Carolina, officials said.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War presented the $10,000 monument at a ceremony Saturday at the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported.
"[Now], we honor all participants for their willingness to die for a cause they believed in," Jerry Devine, of the North Carolina chapter of Sons of Union Veterans, said at the unveiling ceremony.
The ceremony came three days before the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Bentonville. About 80,000 men fought in the battle, 60,000 of whom were Union soldiers, Devine said.
The Battle of Bentonville was fought from March 19 to 21, 1865, and was the largest Civil War battle to be fought in North Carolina, which was part of the Confederate South.
"It's a confirmation that when it comes to recognizing service members, whether they were Confederate soldiers or Union soldiers, what's important for people is that they were American," said Doug Elwell of Fayetteville, the chairman of the monument committee.
