WATERVILLE — Two girls in bonnets and aprons watched as their fifth great-grandfather was given the memorial service he never had.

The girls, Belle Hersom, 9, and Jocelyn Hersom, 10, are descendants of Civil War soldier Cpl. Charles Bushey. Waterville resident Linda Dutil stumbled upon his grave three years ago and began planning an official memorial service along with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, reenactors from the 20th Maine Volunteers and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

On Thursday, in sweltering heat, that memorial was observed.

More than 30 people gathered in Saint Francis Catholic Cemetery to hear speeches and watch reenactors fire a volley. The procession honored Bushey and Pvt. John King Sr. of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic fraternal organization, whose grave Dutil also found while walking around the cemetery four years ago.

“I found just a little piece, I cleaned it off, and I thought: ‘What’s GAR?'” Dutil said. “And I looked it up. I came home, I was so excited, I said: ‘It’s a Civil War soldier’s grave!'”

The 20th Maine is known for its defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg under the command of Col. Joshua Chamberlain, halting the Confederate advance and preventing the Union line from being flanked. It was a turning point in the Civil War. King was at that battle on July 2, 1863 — 162 years before the memorial service.

King was born in Canada and enlisted when the regiment formed in 1862. When he was in his 40s, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, he took a piece of buckshot to his hand while another dislocated his patella. Only after the regiment disbanded did the court grant him citizenship, Thomas Desjardin, author of “Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine,” told the crowd.

“Nowadays, you think about what it takes to become a citizen,” Desjardin said. “Well, then you’ve got to get shot in the hand, shot in the knee, keep serving, wait another five years, and then, maybe, you can become a citizen of the United States.”

King was buried next to his wife, whose grave Dutil also discovered.

Richard Wall, a Tenants Harbor resident and 20th Maine volunteer reenactor for more than 20 years, said he is fascinated by the history of how it all took place.

“You know that there were soldiers on the field, but you don’t know the individual stories,” Wall said. “And so it becomes very interesting to find out how they all ended up.”

Leaders read a speech by Chamberlain as participants placed flowers on the grave. Salutes were exchanged, rifles were stowed and the company marched toward Bushey’s grave to do it all over again.

Dutil and her husband, Brian, are history buffs and spent years looking for Bushey’s grave in Saint Francis Catholic Cemetery before stumbling upon it in neighboring Pine Grove Cemetery.

“We literally searched every grave over there,” she said. “Then one day we were just walking over here, and he said, ‘There’s the Charles Bushey grave.'”

The Hersom sisters decided to wear traditional late-19th-century dresses to honor their ancestor.

“We ordered these online, and I got an idea to be respectful, a long time ago, for the outfits they wear,” Belle Hersom said. “I’m feeling excited and happy.”

“Same here,” Jocelyn Hersom chimed in.

The service wrapped up with another volley and a scattering of applause. Like any soldier leaving a sweltering battlefield, Wall said he looked forward to removing his wool uniform, blasting the car AC and taking a cold shower.

Despite the heat, he said it’s always worth it to play a part in educating younger generations.

“Every generation should know who they are and where they come from,” he said. “They should know what their ancestors did and what part they played,” he said. “Not just being a grandfather, but: Who were you, and what did you do?”

Dutil said it was special to give the Hersom girls an opportunity to celebrate their ancestor.

“I think it’s something that these two girls will remember forever,” she said.