BERLIN, Vt. (AP) -- A weathered headstone in a cemetery near the state airport in Berlin marks one resident's contribution to saving the Union during the Battle of the Wilderness, which began 150 years ago Monday.
The gravesite commemorates the life of Cornelius Nye, who was 32 when he died May 5, 1864, during the Civil War battle in Virginia.
To honor the sacrifices of Nye and the 1,234 Vermonters killed, wounded or captured during the two-day battle, church bells will ring across the state at 4 p.m. Monday, the hour the First Vermont Brigade was ordered into action. A wreath bearing the Freedom and Unit seal of Vermont will also be laid at a monument to the Vermont Brigade on the battlefield in Virginia.
Last month, the Vermont House passed a resolution commemorating the state's role in the battle and urging the ringing of the bells for 10 minutes.
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2014/resolutn/HR0015.pdf
