One-hundred-forty-eight years ago, a union private by the name of Levi Schlegel, who had been serving with the 198th Pennsylvania Regiment, Company G, passed through Fredricksburg, Virginia, on his way home after the cessation of the Civil War.  How do we know that?  Somehow he either discarded, or lost his identity ring, the equivalent of our modern dog tags there.  It was found again in 2005 by an amateur 'relic hunter,' John Blue of Manassas, VA.  Blue is a heavy equipment operator in his day job, but was taught the art of relic hunting by both his father and grandfather.  Manassas, VA would be a good place to be a Civil War relic hunter.  There were two important battles fought there in the Civil War.  Both were victories for the Confederate forces.  The Union new these battles by another name.  Bull Run.

Pvt. Levi Schlegel had served earlier in the war with the 167th Pennsylvania Regiment.  He was 21 years old in 1862 when he signed on the first time for a nine month enlistment.  He did not see much action with that unit and when his enlistment was up, he returned home to continue working in his trade as a carpenter.  In 1864 he signed up again.  This time he entered and fought with the 198th Pennsylvania Regiment.  The war was in its final throes at this time.

Both of these units that Pvt. Levi Schlegel served in were made up of the descendants of 18th century German immigrants who had settled in Pennsylvania.  Many of them were present at Gettysburg, where whole  units of German and Irish immigrant companies and regiments fought valiantly for the Union.   I read a marvelous historical fiction novel recently called "Cain at Gettysburg," which detailed some of the exploits of these units at that pivotal and violent battle, and some of the prejudices that were held against them by their Union soldier compatriots.  

Many of these German units, though they were in most cases second and third generation Americans, still spoke German in their homes and communities.  They were hard working farmers and craftsmen who loved the freedom and opportunity that America represented to the world.  They were against slavery because they had known something like it in their homelands.  

We don't know how the ring ended up in the soil near Manassas, Virginia, but it doesn't make much difference being 148 years in the past.  What we do know is that Pvt. Levi Schlegel made it home after the war and that he lived to the ripe old age of 81, dying in 1912.   Military records would show where he would have fought, of course, but this story is about his identity ring being found almost a century and a half later and being returned to his descendants who still live in Pennsylvania.

There was a private ceremony held at the grave site of Pvt. Levi Schlegel in Reading, Pennsylvania recently.  At that ceremony John Blue who had warn the ring on a chain around his neck since the time he found it, handed it over to Ernest Schlegel, 49, a distant cousin of Pvt Levi Schlegel, and who is a candidate for the Reading City Council.  Blue had found the descendants with the help of a genealogist friend who volunteers at the Manassas Museum.  Ernest Schlegel said, "To know what this person went through and get back here...and to know what he went through in battle...it's an amazing feeling to have this right here in my hand."

This is a small piece of history, but it open us all up to recognizing both the terrible struggle that was the Civil war, and the awareness that those who fought on either side of the struggle, were, as always, just common citizens from every part of this country.  Their individual stories never made it into the history books, but there presence, their valor, their commitment to the ideals of this nation were as important to our history as the famous names were.  We know the names of those who commanded them, who sent them into battle.  But it was their blood, sweat and courage that fought and won those battles.  And this is true in every war.  

This is a small story, but it touches us all.   We can never give enough thanks to those who have labored and sacrificed on so many battlefields facing down those who have threatened our liberties over the course of the life of this nation.  They all did so with honor, dignity and courage.  God bless them all.