In 1974, a cemetery book was published in Upshur County listing the burial of a man named Cullin Redwine Earp; however, it was not known where his burial site was.

At the time, Bill Starnes, owner of Hadden's Sandwich Shop in Gilmer,Texas took notice of the name. About 10 years ago, Starnes said, he began to seriously
research the name and the grave.

A group of volunteers exhumes the body of Confederate Col. Cullin Redwine Earp on a rainy day in February near Latch. Earp's remains will be reburied in Gilmer.

Two years ago, the deteriorated, vandalized grave was found near Latch ? unbefitting of a Confederate soldier, Starnes said.

Col. Cullin Redwine Earp's grave was exhumed, and on Friday and Saturday, the remains of the soldier who served his country more than 140 years ago will be reinterred at Hopewell Cemetery in Gilmer.

"We decided we needed to do something with him. We needed to put him in place with perpetual care," said Starnes, a past commander of the Upshur County Patriots.

Earp was born Aug. 8, 1828, in Alabama, Starnes said. Earp moved to Texas as a teenager, but returned to Alabama. He joined the Army and fought in the Mexican War.

After the war, Earp returned to Texas and married, Starnes said. Earp was farmer in Upshur County when the Civil War erupted in 1862.

Earp assumed full command of the 10th Texas Cavalry, Confederate States Army, in 1863, Starnes said. He fought in at least 21 major conflicts, including clashes at Chickamauga, Ga., Atlanta, Ga., and Franklin, Tenn.

Earp was given a three-month furlough, and he returned to Upshur County in February 1865, Starnes said. In April, the Civil War and Earp's military service ended. Earp died on Oct16, 1865. He had no children. Starnes said Earp was likely sick when he returned to Upshur County for his furlough.

He was buried near Latch, and a local legend says that he was buried in his Confederate uniform with his sword and a gold watch, Starnes said.  The grave was vandalized, probably between 1967 and 1997, Starnes said. The uniform, sword and watch were not found when the grave was exhumed in February by 30-person
team of members of the Upshur County Patriots-Camp 2109, a Gilmer-based group affiliated with the Sons of the Confederacy national organization. Volunteers discovered a few skeletal remains, two coffin nails and coffin hardware, Starnes said.  A new coffin bearing Earp's remains and soil from his former grave will be placed Friday afternoon in a log cabin built in 1849, said Dave Ellison, an organizer of the reburial.  All mirrors in the cabin will be covered in black, as was the custom at the time of Earp's death. Earp's coffin will be at the cabin for 24 hours and be protected day and night by members of an honor guard, who will be dressed in Confederate uniforms.The log cabin, at the corner of Cypress and Harrison streets in Gilmer, is adjacent to land that Earp owned, Ellison said.

On Saturday, a formal procession will escort Earp's flag-draped coffin from the log cabin to the Upshur County Courthouse, where a formal observance will be held.

The observance is expected to bring more than 200 people wearing military attire and dresses from the 1860s. A Confederate honor guard, a riderless horse, mounted Confederate re-enactors and a period-authentic fife and drum corps from the Dallas area will be present. Speakers will discuss Earp's life.

The observance will break for lunch, and at 1:30, the coffin will be moved to Hopewell Cemetery near FM 1795 and FM 49 in Upshur County.

Cannon and rifles will be fired in Earp's honor. Hopewell Cemetery is the burial place of Earp's brother, Alex, a Confederate veteran and a former Upshur County sheriff.  Twenty other Confederate veterans are buried in the cemetery, and their graves will be marked Saturday with related regimental flags.

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Confederate Colonel Honored In Gilmer Ceremony
Bob Hallmark reporting   bhallmark@kltv.com
04/26/08

It was a moving ceremony in Gilmer today as a civil war veteran was finally given a proper burial. The day was full of military honors and respects, as a confederate colonel was remembered. In a solemn procession, confederate colonel Cullin Redwine Earp's handmade wooden casket was carried through the streets of Gilmer.

"We're just so appreciative to all of this the sons of the confederacy for taking this on other wise his grave would have been lost for sure" say Earp relative Randalynn Holmes of Upshur county.

Family members came from as far away as California and Alaska today to pay their respects.

"I am blown away at all the work these people have done, the authenticity they've striven for the beauty of the log cabin and their respect and love for this man" says Earps Alaskan relative, Leann Craig.

Earp commanded the 10th Texas cavalry in several battles. But after his death in 1865, was somewhat lost to history. Earp's lost grave was discovered back in February. And organizers think this kind of honor should be accorded to soldiers of all era's.

"The civil war, revolutionary war , world war one world war two , Iraq, every soldier is a hero" says acting commander of the confederate 10th cavalry, Bill Starnes.

The remains of colonel Earp were laid to rest with military honors at Hopewell cemetery near Latch, Texas.

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Soldier Given Proper Burial 143 Years After Death
By LAUREN GROVER
Staff Writer Tyler Morning Telegraph
Sunday, April 27, 2008

LATCH - A Confederate soldier from Upshur County whose remains were disrupted several times was laid to rest on Saturday, 143 years after his death.

The burial ceremony that drew nearly 300 people to Hopewell Cemetery was led by Civil War-era reenactors and descendents of the military leader.

Col. Cullin Redwine Earp commanded the 10th Texas Cavalry C.S.A. in 1863, leading his men into at least 21 major conflicts including bloody clashes at Chickamauga, Ga., Atlanta, Ga. and Franklin, Tenn. He died, possibly of battle wounds, in 1865 in Upshur County.

"Let this remind us that we too are mortal and our bodies shall molder into dust," said Jamie Eitson, a Tyler pastor whose sobering words echoed across the quiet graveyard.

Visitors filed by Earp's closed casket on Friday. Others escorted a formal procession of Earp's horse-drawn funeral wagon on Saturday morning into downtown Gilmer where Sons of Confederate Veterans spoke of his service to America.

Members of the Order of the Confederate Rose gather for a black rose ceremony to honor Col. Cullin Earp C.S.A. at his re-burial at Hopewell United Methodist Church, west of Gilmer, on Saturday.   Another procession that afternoon led the crowd to the cemetery where the Masonic burial rites were given.

"Our family is so honored by this," said the colonel's great-great-niece, Glenda Earp Kinard, of Pittsburg. "As a soldier, all soldiers should be shown this honor."

Nearly 30 members of the Earp family, some traveling from as far as Alaska, attended the ceremony. Ms. Kinard and her brother, Jess DeVerle Earp, said their great-great-uncle was buried with a sword and gold watch, and both were missing when his remains were retrieved in February.  "Something was found that led us to believe someone dug him up in the '60s looking for those nice things," she said. "This is a better place for him to be."

Taps was played as the casket was lowered into the ground by ropes. An artillery salute of Civil War-era guns and cannons shot ammunition smoke across the sky. Sixteen black-veiled and black-dressed ladies of the Patriot Rose left a flower on his coffin.

The re-burial was proposed and organized by area leaders of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, including 1st Lt. Commander Mark Vogl of the Northeast Texas Brigade. Other participating groups included the Upshur County Patriots and Heritage Brass Band.