Sometimes it’s the little details that mean the most.Like how the descendants of Henry C. Thompson Sr. learned he was just 17 when he enlisted in the northern army during the Civil War, and how he stayed in the military when most of his unit took advantage of a loophole to slip away and return home.“I was really inspired by his patriotism and his convictions,” said Jim Thompson of Cuyahoga Falls, a great-grandson of the soldier.That patriotism was remembered Sunday at a special ceremony at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, where Henry Thompson finally received a tombstone, 87 years after his death. On hand were great-, great-great- and great-great-great-grandchildren.Jim Thompson said a newspaper story several years ago about a family getting a stone for a Civil War veteran inspired him to do the same.It was mere coincidence that his efforts came together this year, the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.Family genealogist Joan Moore said she has no idea why Henry Thompson’s grave was never marked. Also unmarked are the graves of Henry’s wife and three of his children.“His children had jobs. It’s not like they didn’t have money,” Moore said. “We just don’t know why.”But the oversight was corrected with a gray rectangular military marker provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The family paid for the installation.The event featured speakers, an honor guard, a military salute and the reading of a military biography prepared by researcher and Civil War re-enactor John Gurnish of Mogadore.Gurnish learned that Thompson was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 11, 1843, making him underage when he told enlisters in 1861 that he was 19. He was accepted into Company K of the Second Pennsylvania Reserves.The Second Reserves were trained and equipped, then sent to Maryland, where a commander refused to acknowledge them because they had not been officially mustered into the U.S. Army. Without the proper paperwork, the commander would not issue rations to the men while he awaited instructions from Washington.Discontent spread, and 600 of the 1,000-man regiment left Maryland and returned home.When a federal officer arrived to swear in those who remained, Henry Thompson was still there, “ready to fight to preserve his country,” Gurnish wrote in his report.Thompson’s unit was among those who marched in review before President Abraham Lincoln and Maj. Gen. George McClellan in the fall of 1861. It also participated in the Seven Days Battles, in which Company K helped repel Georgia and Louisiana forces at Beaver Dam Creek, Va.In June 1862, Thompson’s unit was ordered to guard roads leading to Richmond while McClellan’s army retreated. Although the unit was not seriously engaged, Henry Thompson became incapacitated with sunstroke.When he did not respond to treatment by the army surgeon, he was sent to a Philadelphia hospital. After 30 days, he was given a certificate of disability and honorably discharged.Jim Thompson said having a personal connection to the Civil War brings history to life for him and other family members.“It gives us a sense of where we come from,” he said, “and we have to know where we came from to understand where we’re going.”Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.