Norweigan gubmint placed a duty on soldier's headstone.

[gary]

A buddy of mine, W. Padgett, learned of a Norweigan who served in the Union forces and for a few years petititoned the U.S. Gubmint (Veterans Affair?) for a soljer's headstone. He got it and the U.S. Gubmint shipped it for free to Norway. Here's the twist, the Norweigan gubmint charged $30 for duty on that headstone that placed there at U.S. Gubmint expense.

The dedication of the stone involved the U.S. Ambassador to Norway, their military attache, W. Padgett and the town mayor. When Padgett was interviewed by the newspaper, he couldn't help but comment that the Norge placed a duty on the stone. That actually saw print in their paper and it should prove a slight embarassment to the Norge gubmint.

I'll email Padgett to get the name and the unit of the American-Norweigan.

[gary]

Here's Padgett's email response:

The guy was a naval officer - Ulrik Feilberg - who returned to Norway after the wah.
I have enclosed an attachment of the article I showed you (it is in Norsk but also has a photo I took of the headstone). I checked the Nav. Hist. Ctr. in D.C. and they gave me his info off the register of officers (commissioned in June 1863 joins the Iron Age, a screw steamer for blockade duty, loses it on a sand bar off Ft. Fisher, etc.)

Besides the ships listed on the headstone, USS Iron Age and USS St. Lawrence, he finished up on the USS Iosco - a paddle wheel steamer commissioned in 1864. It was from this ship, he is mentioned in dispatches re: the fall of Ft. Fisher and an after war foray in May 1865 up the Roanoke River seizing and destroying 'enemy' property.