Military Figure. He was the last declared known American casualty of World War I. After being killed in action by German artillery shrapnel, Graves was first buried in France. He had enlisted fourteen months earlier, serving as an infantryman from Rome in the American Expeditionary Force. When his remains were returned to the United States in 1922, his name was randomly picked from a list of war dead to have the honor of being buried at Arlington Cemetery as the "Known Soldier" His mother however, requested him to be buried in Rome's Antioch Cemetery on Callier Springs Road, which was done on April 6, 1922. Prior to returning his remains to Georgia, an extravagant parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City was held with President Warren G. Harding speaking. Disagreeing with his mother, many citizens of Rome felt that he should be buried at a more honorable site. With his mother's death, Graves was going to be moved, with the permission of his brother, to Myrtle Hill Cemetery. With others disagreeing with the relocation plan, a court decision was going to be made, but the night before, his coffin was move by lantern light and re-interred at Myrtle Hill Cemetery for the third and final time on September 22, 1923. On November 11th of that year, a formal dedication honoring him and all veterans was held. After a renovation of the site, another formal dedication was held on November of 2000. Among the graves of a Revolutionary War patriots and the fallen of the American Civil War, his final resting place is the center of the Veterans Plaza at Myrtle Hill Cemetery with a bronze replica of a World War I "Doughboy" keeping guard. He does not have a federal issued military marker, but has a private slab with plaques.
Military Figure. He was the last declared known American casualty of World War I. After being killed in action by German artillery shrapnel, Graves was first buried in France. He had enlisted fourteen months earlier, serving as an infantryman from Rome in the American Expeditionary Force. When his remains were returned to the United States in 1922, his name was randomly picked from a list of war dead to have the honor of being buried at Arlington Cemetery as the "Known Soldier" His mother however, requested him to be buried in Rome's Antioch Cemetery on Callier Springs Road, which was done on April 6, 1922. Prior to returning his remains to Georgia, an extravagant parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City was held with President Warren G. Harding speaking. Disagreeing with his mother, many citizens of Rome felt that he should be buried at a more honorable site. With his mother's death, Graves was going to be moved, with the permission of his brother, to Myrtle Hill Cemetery. With others disagreeing with the relocation plan, a court decision was going to be made, but the night before, his coffin was move by lantern light and re-interred at Myrtle Hill Cemetery for the third and final time on September 22, 1923. On November 11th of that year, a formal dedication honoring him and all veterans was held. After a renovation of the site, another formal dedication was held on November of 2000. Among the graves of a Revolutionary War patriots and the fallen of the American Civil War, his final resting place is the center of the Veterans Plaza at Myrtle Hill Cemetery with a bronze replica of a World War I "Doughboy" keeping guard. He does not have a federal issued military marker, but has a private slab with plaques.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Inscription
Top plaque reads: "Charles W. Graves, Private soldier, Born March 8, 1893, Enlisted August 16, 1917, Company M-117 infantry, 5th Tennessee regiment, 30th division, Killed on the Hindenburg line October 5, 1918, near Nuroy, France."
Bottom plaque reads: "The last of the nation's dead to return to his native soil. This body was honored by the government of The United States of America as representative of its known dead in the World War."
Advertisement
See more Graves memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
