Soldiers Monument, (sculpture).

Soldiers Monument, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Soldiers Monument, (sculpture).

Civil War, (sculpture).

Memorial Park Monument, (sculpture).

Installed July 1868. Dedicated July 11, 1868.

Sculpture: marble and cast aluminum; Base: marble.

Sculpture: approx. H. 12 ft.

(On south side of base:) "You wish to know the valor of the west - Go ask the rebels for they know it best."/"In memory of their fellow citizens, who lost their lives to save their country in the war of the great rebellion, this monument was erected by the inhabitants of the Town of Rhine July, 1868." (On north side of base:) "Von des LebeNs Guten allen Ist der Ruhm das Hochste doch. Wenn de Leib iN Staub ZerfalleN Lebt der gosse Name Noch" (On one side of base, incised lettering:) 1ST RGT. WIS. VOLS. CO. H./Wm H CARVER, CHAPLIN HILLS, KY. OCT. 8, 1862/4TH RGT. WIS. VOLS. CO. C./HENRY GUNDY, NOV. 16, 1864/8TH RGT. WIS. VOLS. CO. B./THOMAS M. ODELL, MAR. 15, 1862/9TH RGT. WIS. VOLS. CO. A./HENRY HENKEL, SEPT. 21, 1862/FREDERICK ROSSMAN, FEB. 1, 1864/21ST RGT. WIS. VOLS. CO. K./JOHN STALLMANN CHAPLIN HILLS, KY. OCT. 8, 1862 (On base: names of Rhine Center men killed in the Civil War)

The monument is a tapered marble shaft set on a stepped base. At one time, a bronze eagle topped the shaft. It has been replaced by a cast aluminum eagle that is brought out only on Memorial Day. At one time, two antique cannons flanked the sculpture.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Ethnic -- German

Outdoor Sculpture -- Wisconsin -- Rhine

Located Memorial Park, One mile south of town, junction of County Trunks E & FF, Rhine, Wisconsin

A nearby sign reads: TOWN OF RHINE/MEMORIAL PARK MONUMENT/In April 1867 the citizens/of this township approved/funds to erect this monument/to their Civil War dead. It/was dedicated July 4, 1868. 115/men from the Town of Rhine vol-/unteered to serve their country in/this great war. 23 never returned./Their names, rank, and the battle/in which they lost their life, are/inscribed on this monument.

The bronze eagle that originally was on top of the shaft was stolen in 1965. It was replaced by a cast aluminum eagle that is brought out only during the Memorial Day celebration. One of the antique cannons that originally flanked the sculpture was stolen. The remaining cannon is brought out only on Memorial Day. In 1965, the sculpture was restored to its original condition. In 1974, the sculpture was designated a Wisconsin Historical Marker. It is one of the earliest sculptures in the nation to the Civil War. The German verse on the base of the sculpture translates "Of all Lifes possessions, Glory is certainly the most sublime, When the body has turned to dust, A great name lives on."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Wisconsin survey, 1995.

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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System