The Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Association and local historian Joe Nihen will kick off the Memorial Day weekend events in Summit Hill with the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Civil War Veterans Tour at 11 a.m. May 28.

The tour will showcase 19 of the 76 Civil War veterans buried in the GAR cemetery, located along East White Street, and will serve as a fundraiser for the upkeep and operation of the cemetery. Here is a sneak peek, courtesy of Nihen, of the tour.Capt. John MacLaughlinJohn MacLaughlin, born in 1832 in Ireland, is one of the Civil War vets interred in the GAR.He joined the 81st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, Company H, "The Fighting Chippewas," in September 1861.John was severely wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Dec. 13, 1862, and promoted to captain in May 1863, but was forced to resign his commission because of his wounds.He survived some of the fiercest battles of the Civil War, including Fair Oaks and Antietam, America's "Bloodiest Day," only to be killed in a railroading accident in 1867. Before the Civil War broke out, John worked as a tailor in Mauch Chunk.He was married to Jane Tanner, the sister of Nathan Tanner, a bugler during the Civil War who went on to be appointed to Postmaster of Lansford and an active member of Lansford politics, and was the father of three known children.Other storiesThe 18 other Civil War soldiers who will be highlighted include:Pvt. Samuel ArthurPvt. Joseph ForrestNathan Tanner - buglerPvt. William KissnerPvt. Jacob Strauss1st Lt. Myron FellowsPvt. John C. RutterPvt. Samuel FlemmingCpl. George B. KentPvt. Hugh EdgarPvt. George Henry HolveyCapt. Thomas Carlos WilliamsPvt. Arthur McQuaidPvt. Willoughby Leinbach Stout1st Sgt. John B. Watkins1st Class Gunner Thomas S. JonesPvt. Samuel Alfred WehrPvt. Charles Henry Neumiller