Government-issue tombstones that mark the graves of Confederate veterans are few and far between in Iowa --- only two in Lucas County. This one, in the Chariton Cemetery, marks the grave of George W. Alexander, unmarked until after 1930 --- when the stones became available for use in privately owned cemeteries.
Congress authorized these stones during 1906, but they were intended only to mark the graves of Confederate veterans buried in national cemeteries (eight Confederate veterans are buried in Keokuk National Cemetery, for example; and nearly 2,000 in the Confederate Cemetery on Arsenal Island, Rock Island, site of a prisoner of war camp).
From the outset, the stones had their distinctive pointed top to distinguish them from Union stones, with rounded tops. During 1929, Congress authorized use of the stones to mark previously unmarked graves in private cemeteries and the Confederate cross of honor was added to the design during 1930.
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Alexander was born during 1845 at Dandridge, Jefferson County, east Tennessee, in the same general area where the other two Confederate veterans buried in the Chariton Cemetery --- Napoleon B. Branner and Isaac Fain --- were born. He enlisted for service in Company C, 31st Tennessee Infantry, during 1861 and served throughout the war.
By his own account, he left east Tennessee after the war in large part because of the bitter disputes between Union and Confederate partisans that continued there and relocated to Dubuque in July of 1865, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1871.
During 1872, he married Clara Dodson, an older widow with one son, and moved to Chariton at the urging of his friends, Branner and Fain.
By all accounts, George was an attractive and charismatic man --- and an excellent attorney. But his devils included alcoholism, a problem that accelerated after the death of Clara during September of 1905.
He was elected mayor of Chariton on several occasions --- despite the fact his difficulties with alcohol were widely known and he was denounced upon occasion from the city's pulpits. During 1908, he was committed to the state hospital for inebriates, Knoxville, and prevailed upon to resign. But The Chariton Herald editor expressed what probably was the prevailing attitude in Chariton when reporting his hospitalization:
"Hundreds of people will turn their thoughts to him (Alexander) with kindly consideration for his interest and generosity during the many years he has been legal advisor, to the poor especially," the editor wrote. "He is a pension attorney and many veterans, soldiers' widows and their dependent children have been cared for through his zealous attention to the case in question. The many friends in this city and surrounding country will remember him in his affliction, hoping that his physical condition may respond to the combination of medical aid and splendid surroundings."
Alexander did recover and returned to his law practice --- but not to politics. He died eight years later, on Feb. 13, 1916, of injuries sustained when he fell down the stairs to his second-floor office on the square.
Since he had no money, he was buried with Clara on the Branner family lot in the Chariton Cemetery, but his grave remained unmarked.
After government-issue veteran tombstones became available for use in private cemeteries, Chariton Cemetery and veteran affairs personnel worked together to locate unmarked veteran graves and ordered stones for them, which is why George's grave is marked. It has a G.A.R. flag holder because all three of the Confederate veterans buried in the cemetery were honorary affiliates of Iseminger Post, Grand Army of the Republic.
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