Bloedner Monument, (sculpture).

Bloedner Monument, (sculpture).

Bloedner, Friedrich August, 1827-1872, sculptor.

Bloedner Monument, (sculpture).

32nd Infantry Monument, (sculpture).

Rowlett's Station Monument, (sculpture).

Originally dedicated Jan. 1862. Relocated 1867. Relocated 2008-2010.

Digital Reference:

Monument: Saint Genevieve limestone; Base: Indiana (Bedford) limestone.

Approx. 3 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft. x 2 ft.

(On front, partially deteriorated, incised in German, two versions of the translation:) (translation, first version) Here rests the first heroes of the 32nd Indiana German Regiment, who laid down their lives for the preservation of the free Constitution of the republic of the United States of North America. They were killed December 17, 1861, in a fight with rebels at Rowlett's Station, Kentucky, in which one regiment of Texas Rangers, two regiments of infantry, and a battery of six cannons, (over 3,000 strong) were defeated by 500 German soldiers. (names of the dead with birth dates) (translation, second version) Here rest the first martyrs of the 32nd, the first German Regiment of Indiana. They were fighting nobly in defense of the free Constitution of the United States of America. They fell on the 17th day of December, 1861, in the battle of Rowlett's Station, in which one regiment of Texas Rangers, two regiments of infantry, and six pieces of rebel artillery, in all over 3,000 men, were defeated by 500 German soldiers. (names of the dead with birth dates). (On base, incised in small raised oval:) In Memory of the First/Victims/of the 32nd Reg. Indiana Vol./Who fell at the Battle of Rowletts/Station

A slab of Saint Genevieve limestone carved in relief with an image of an eagle, its wings spread atop two cannon barrels, two piles of cannon balls, two crossed flags, a branch of oak leaves, and a branch of olive leaves. Beneath the relief is an incised inscription dedicated to those from the 32nd Indiana German Regiment who died on Dec. 17, 1861 near Rowlett's Station, Kentucky. The monument rests atop a rectangular base of Indiana (Bedford) limestone with an inscription incised within a small raised oval.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Object -- Other -- Flag

Object -- Weapon -- Cannon

Object -- Foliage -- Oak

Object -- Foliage -- Olive Branch

On loan to Frazier International History Museum, 829 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Lent by United States Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia 20420

Formerly located Cave Hill National Cemetery, 701 Baxter Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40204 until 2009.

On Dec. 17, 1861, the 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel August Willich, fought Confederate cavalry, infantry, and artillery units south of Munfordville, Kentucky, near Rowlett's Station. While both forces retreated from the battlefield, the Union regiment successfully defended a vital bridge over the Green River. Thirteen men of the regiment died and thirty were wounded in the engagement. Originally the monument and the twelve bodies buried beneath it were located at Fort Willich, near Munfordville, Kentucky, but in 1867 the bodies and the monument were relocated to Cave Hill Cemetery. The monument is one of the nation's oldest existing Civil War memorials, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Friedrich August Bloedner, a member of the 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, created the monument to honor his fellow soldiers. The monument is listed a National Historic Landmark.

In 2008, it was determined that the monument should be moved to an indoor location to prevent further deterioration of the limestone. In Dec. 2008, the monument was moved from the Cave Hill National Cemetery to the University of Louisville where it was stabilized. In 2010, the Frazier International History Museum in Louisville was selected to receive the Bloedner Monument on long-term loan. A replacement monument and sign explaining the historical significance of the Bloedner Monument will be installed in Cave Hill National Cemetery in 2010. The online image shows the Bloedner Monument in its former location at the Cave Hill National Cemetery.

National Cemetery Administration Memorials Inventory Project, 2002-2005.

Inventory staff, 2010.

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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