Soldiers' National Monument, (sculpture).

Soldiers' National Monument, (sculpture).

Rogers, Randolph, 1825-1892, sculptor.

Batterson, James Goodwin, 1823-1901, designer.

Keller, George W., 1842-1935, designer.

Soldiers' National Monument, (sculpture).

National Soldiers' Monument, (sculpture).

Cornerstone laid July 4, 1865. ca. 1866-1869. Dedicated July 1, 1869.

Digital Reference:

Figures: marble; Base: Westerly granite with bronze elements.

Sculpture: approx. H. 60 ft.; Base: approx. W. 25 ft. x D. 25 ft.

(On cornerstone, right:) J. G. Batterson, FECIT/Hartford, Conn. (On plaque, center front:) GETTYSBURG/JULY 1, 2, 3, 1863 (Text of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address appears on the back center) signed

Monument consists of five allegorical figures on a center column structure and a star-shaped base. Liberty stands atop the column, a female figure in Classical robes holding a laurel wreath in her proper right hand and a sword in her proper left hand. Eighteen bronze stars, one for each state whose citizens fought in the Union army, encircle the upper portion of the column. The four remaining figures are seated at the base of the column. They personify War, History, Peace and Plenty. War is a bearded, uniformed Civil War Soldier. History is a female figure in Classical robes, a garland around her head and a book in her lap. Peace is an American mechanic in work clothes holding a mallet in his proper right hand and a cogwheel at his feet. Plenty is a female figure with fruits and a sheaf of wheat. A bronze eagle in relief appears on the front center of the column. Relief items relevant to each figure appear on their respective chairs.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Allegory -- Civic -- Liberty

Allegory -- Civic -- War

Allegory -- Civic -- Peace

Allegory -- Arts & Sciences -- History

Allegory -- Quality -- Wealth

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Gettysburg

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Administered by Gettysburg National Military Park, 97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325

Located Gettysburg National Military Park, Soldiers' National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325

Commissioned under the auspices of the Gettysburg National Cemetery Association, this was the first monument erected in the battlefield. The sculpture (referred to as MN 288) is listed on the National Park Service List of Classified Structures and is referenced in the Gettysburg National Military Park Archives, vol. 1. For items deposited in the cornerstone, see "Revised Report made to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, Relative to the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg" (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1867), pg. 255-262. IAS files include an excerpt from "The Sculptures at Gettysburg," by Wayne Craven.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

Craven, Wayne, "The Sculptures at Gettysburg," New York: Eastern Acorn Press, 1982, pg. 11-18.

Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 36.

Craven, Wayne, "The Sculptures at Gettysburg," New York: Eastern Acorn Press, 1982, pg. 16.

Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 36.

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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