Civil War experts in California have corrected the grave marker of an emancipated slave and Union Army veteran erroneously listed as a Confederate soldier.

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The Sons of Union Veterans and the American Civil War Association staged a 19th century-style memorial service at Sunrise Memorial Cemetery in Vallejo for Union Army Private Samuel Brown, who died 87 years ago, to mark the placement of a corrected tombstone that lists him as a Union soldier rather than a Confederate soldier, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.

Organizers said the mistake was first noticed by cemetery worker and history enthusiast Brian Pinarretta.

Mary Johnson, 77, Brown's granddaughter, was one of several family members in attendance at the Saturday ceremony.

"This is beautiful," she said. "It's beyond words."