The Soldiers' Monument, (sculpture).

The Soldiers' Monument, (sculpture).

Conrads, Carl H., 1839-1920, sculptor.

Messrs. Batterson, Canfield, & Company, fabricator.

Unknown (Germany), founder.

The Soldiers' Monument, (sculpture).

Installed April 14, 1875. Dedicated April 23, 1875.

Sculpture: tan Westerly granite.

Overall: approx. H. 27 ft. 6 in.; Sculpture: approx. 12 x 2 x 2 ft.; Base: approx. 15 ft. 6 in. x 10 ft. x 10 ft.

(Front of sculpture, top eastern end of plinth, incised lettering:) BATTERSON, CANFIELD, & Co./HARTFORD, CT. (Front of base, on bronze plaque, incised lettering: list of 40 names with units) (East side of base, on bronze plaque: list of 39 names) (North side of base, on bronze plaque: list of 49 names) (Rear of base, on bronze plaque: list of 36 names) unsigned

The monument consists of a uniformed Civil War soldier standing with his proper left foot forward, his toe extending over the edge of the base. His rifle butt, at right angles to the direction of the feet, also extends over the edge. He has a moustache and wears cap and a long, belted overcoat with a cape which falls to his elbows. His kits and his bayonet are suspended from his belt. He holds his rifle with his left hand over his proper right on the rifle muzzle. The soldier rests on a base with an octagonal upper section and a square lower section adorned with bronze inscription plaques. The raised image of the Connecticut state seal appears on the octagonal upper front of the base, just below the soldier. The monument is bordered by a square wrought-iron fence supported by a square granite curb. Square piers at the corners of the fence are adorned with the raised image of the United State seal. A time capsule is buried between the monument and the fence.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Connecticut -- Norwich

Administered by Town of Norwich, Department of Public Works, 50 Clinton Avenue, Norwich, Connecticut 06360

Located Chelsea Parade, Opposite 228 Washington Street, Norwich, Connecticut

Formerly located Great Plain, North end, Norwich, Connecticut

The monument commemorates Civil War soldiers of Norwich who died in the Civil War. The cost was $16,278.94, of which $2,278 was for the bronze plaques, which were cast in Germany. Proposals for a monument were put forward as early as June 14, 1869 at a public meeting by William A. Buckingham of Norwich, war-time governor of Connecticut. At a town meeting on October 3, 1870, Buckingham introduced a resolution calling for an appropriation. The first location selected was Yantic Cemetery, but was changed to the north end of the Great Plain, which is now known as the Chelsea Parade. The Chelsea Parade Historic District was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. According to newspaper accounts, the soldier was placed on the base April 14, 1873, but the dedication was not held until April 23, 1875.

For related information see: the Norwich Bulletin, Aug. 4, 1958 and May 14, 1968; Mildred C. Baruch and Ellen J. Beckman's "Civil War Union Monuments," Washington: Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1978, pg. 18; Malcolm McG. Dana's "The Annals of Norwich in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65," Norwich, CT: J. H. Jewett and Company, 1873, pg. 375-387.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey, 1994.

Dana, Malcolm McG., "The Annals of Norwich in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65," Norwich, CT: J. H. Jewett and Company, 1873, pg. 376.

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