Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Friedley-Voshardt Company, founder.

Stewart, Roy H., sculptor.

Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Dedicated 1930.

Digital Reference:

Statue: Sheet copper, painted; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 7 ft. x 2 ft. 3 in. x 3 ft. 9 in.; Base: approx. 8 ft. 6 in. x 14 ft. 7 in. x 19 ft. 1 in.

Friedly-Voshardt Co. (East side:) This monument erected/A.D. 1930/by the/Union Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Commission. (South side:) In memory/of the/thirty-two thousand/soldiers, sailors, & marines/contributed by West Virginia/to the service of the Union/during the Civil War/1861-1865. (West side:) The Act of Congress/admitting WV/as a separate state/was approved/by President Lincoln/June 20, 1863. (North side: Lincoln's Gettysburg speech with Lincoln's face depicted in relief) Founder's mark appears.

A statue of a Union soldier, facing east and stepping forward onto his proper right leg. The soldier rests a flint lock musket against his proper right shoulder, holding it in his proper right hand. His proper left arm is held at his side, arm slightly bent. A bed roll is draped over his proper left shoulder. He also carries a canteen, pouch, ammunition box, and a bayonet. He wears a hat and around his waist is a belt with a U.S. buckle. The soldier stands on a simple granite base with plaques on the sides.

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Object -- Weapon -- Gun

Outdoor Sculpture -- West Virginia -- Charleston

Administered by State of West Virginia, General Services, West Virginia State Capitol Complex, Charleston, West Virginia 25305

Located West Virginia State Capitol, Grounds, along Kanawha Boulevard, Charleston, West Virginia 25305

The monument honors the memory of the 32,000 West Virginia soldiers, sailors, and marines who fought for the Union cause during the Civil War. In 1929, the West Virginia state legislature created a commission consisting of Union Civil War veterans to design and erect a fitting monument to those from the Mountain State who fought for the Northern cause. The monument was funded with a $15,000 appropriation by the state legislature. Roy H. Stewart created the base. IAS files contain related articles from Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), March 16, 1955 which discusses the commissioning of the work, and the Williamson Daily News (Williamson, WV), Nov. 25, 1929 which discusses the design and siting of the work. IAS files also contain articles from Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), July 4, 1991; Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), Aug. 2, 1991; Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), July 19, 1991; and Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), Aug. 3, 1991, pg. 1A, 11A which discuss past restoration efforts and damage done to sculpture when it was moved in the 1970s. The West Virginia State Archives clipping files contain material on this sculpture. In 1991, this sculpture was sand blasted and covered with lacquer, leaving it a mustard color. At the same time the stone base was cleaned.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, West Virginia survey, 1992.

Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, WV), March 16, 1955.

SOS Assessment Award, 1998.

Inventory staff, 2000.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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