IN PHOTOS: Nearly A Century After Death, Union Soldier Gets A Proper Burial

Nearly a century after his death, a Civil War era soldier finally received a proper burial in San Diego on Thursday.

Army Sgt. Charles Schroeter, who fought for the Union and received the Medal of Honor for his valor during the Indian Wars, was buried in an unmarked communal crypt after his death in 1921. As UT San Diego reports, a couple of veterans started researching his history. Along with the National Cemetery Administration, they couldn't quite figure out why Schroeter was forgotten, but they were able to prove that the remains being kept in that crypt really belonged to the same Schroeter who received the Medal of Honor in 1870.

On Thursday, The Los Angeles Times reports, Schroeter's remains were transferred in a horse-drawn hearse, flanked by Civil War re-enactors. And, finally, Schroeter was buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego with full military honors.

"[This country] is worth something. It's worth dying for, and a lot of people have done it," Bill Schurmann, a Civil War re-enactor, told UT San Diego. "And these people need to be honored, and their memory needs to be honored. And that's what we do."

We'll leave you with a few pictures of the ceremony:

An honor guard places the remains of Army Sgt. Charles Schroeter in the back of a a horse-drawn hearse.

Chris Carlson/AP

Schroeter, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in an 1869 battle during the Indian Wars, was re-interred with full military honors at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.

Chris Carlson/AP

Stephen Tisch, 2, poses for a picture with Civil War re-enactors before Army Sgt. Charles Schroeter was re-interred at Miramar National Cemetery.

Chris Carlson/AP

A rifle squad fires a salute at the conclusion of the ceremony as a bugler plays taps for Army Sgt. Charles Schroeter.

Chris Carlson/AP