A few dozen people gathered Sunday at Silver Creek United Methodist Church to remember the Southern soldiers buried in the cemetery who fought during the Civil War.

Organized by the Gen. Nathan B. Forrest Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 469 of Rome, the afternoon service called those in attendance to “remember who you are and where you came from, and be proud of it,” according to past SCV commander Mike Ragland.

Ragland, who spoke about the importance of the area’s Civil War heritage, said the 10 soldiers known to be buried at Silver Creek UMC are just part of the larger group of Confederate veterans honored in local cemeteries throughout the years.

“If you’re a son or daughter of a Southern soldier, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “In fact, you should hold your head high.”

The service meant a lot to Marjorie Atkison, who said her ancestor William F. Jenkins came home after the war to the same house she lives in today.

“They said when he came home, he was near death,” she said.

Atkison said she was told that Jenkins’ wife traveled to Chickamauga during the war to bring him warm wool clothing, and upon stepping off the train she thought her husband was amongst the dead who they’d laid next to the tracks.

He came home after the war like so many others, Ragland said, “to farm and raise their families and be good citizens.”

Ragland said he hopes that, through memorial services like the one Sunday, people in Rome and Floyd County won’t forget the sacrifices the soldiers made during the great conflict between North and South during the 1860s — and that people will go back to discover their family history.

“Your job is to teach your children and grandchildren the truth about what happened,” he said. “And your next job is to find out who you are and write it down.”

Before the crowd left, they were reminded of the sounds of battle with the great boom of a lone cannon and the pop of muskets to salute those who had fought and died for their homeland.