National Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

National Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

National Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Civil War Memorial, (sculpture).

Soldiers' Monument, (sculpture).

1877. Dedicated Sept. 12, 1877. Rededicated Sept. 12, 1992.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: marble; Column: marble. Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 10 ft.;Column and base: approx. H. 48 ft.

(On south side of monument, incised:) TO OUR FALLEN COMRADES (On north side of monument, incised:) THESE WERE HONORABLE MEN IN THEIR GENERATIONS (On east side of monument, incised:) ERECTED BY THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE NATIONAL HOME FOR DISABLED VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS (On west side of monument, incised:) MDCCCLXIII

Thirty foot tall marble column surmounted by the full-length figure of a Civil War soldier standing guard. The marble soldier is in uniform, wearing a cap and an overcoat with the top cape thrown over his proper right shoulder. He holds a rifle in both hands, the butt of the gun rests on the ground. The top of the column is ornately carved. The column rests on a two-tier square base. At each corner of the lowest tier of the base stands a full-length marble figure representing the Infantry, the Cavalry, the Artillery and the Navy respectively. The monument sits on a low granite base.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Dayton

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

Located Dayton National Cemetery, 4100 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio 45428

The cornerstone for the monument was laid on July 4, 1873. All funding for the monument was raised by the Monumental and Historical Association, except $2000 which was donated by the federal government to complete the project. A time capsule containing a Bible, a copy of the Constitution of the United States, photographs, coins, muster-roll of officers and men of the National Home, major newspapers from ten cities, and other memorablilia was placed in the cornerstone. The marble shaft is a column from the portico of the U.S. Bank of Philadelphia, given to the State of Ohio. President Rutherford B. Hayes attended the 1877 dedication ceremony. In 1990 vandals toppled the four lower figures, causing extensive damage. A. Ludwig Klein and Son were contracted to restore the figures and reconstruct the monument. IAS files contain copies of the Rededication Ceremony program and related documentation from the Dayton National Cemetery, including a list of documents included in the time capsule. IAS files also contain a transcription of an article from the Dayton Daily News, Aug. 5, 1992, pg. B2.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio survey, 1993.

National Cemetery Administration Memorials Inventory Project, 2002-2005.

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