Civil War Monuments

Monuments to fallen Civil War soldiers began appearing almost as soon as the first casualties fell. Throughout the country, north and south, states, towns, and even families began constructing monuments to their fallen soldiers, individuals and entire regiments. Whether on the town square or in a local cemetery, these monuments allowed grieving members of the family and the community an expression of their sentiments that would last for the ages.

In the years following the war, large Civil War monuments were erected in proliferation. The most popular designs for these monuments were the obelisk, either adorned or unadorned, and the statue, either of a specific figure (General Robert E. Lee being a popular choice) or of an anonymous soldier who symbolized all the soldiers who marched off to war. Many of these statues were commissioned by veterans groups, such as the Grand Army of the Republic, or other groups such as the Daughters or Sons of the Confederacy. Not surprisingly, after the turn of the 20th century, when many of the veterans of the Civil War were dead, and groups such as the G.A.R. and the D.A.C. lost local prominence, new monuments commemorating the war were scarce in American cities. Most recent Civil War monuments have been erected on battlefields or other historic sites.

Not surprisingly, some of the monuments dedicated to those who served in the Civil War are unusual. Here are three that qualify:

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Somerville, Massachusetts

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a beautiful albeit unusual monument to those who served in the Civil War. Erected in 1909, the statue features both the popular figure of an anonymous soldier, but also the figure of a female, possibly Liberty, hoisting the flag, following the soldier into war. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, unlike most monuments of the time, deviated from the norms of single soldiers or obelisks, and the result is striking.

Unknown Confederate Soldier Monument, Horse Cave, Kentucky

In 1934, almost one hundred years after the conclusion of the Civil War, Horse Cave, Kentucky native Sam Lively, fearing that the grave of an unknown Louisiana soldier who died there during the war would be lost, erected a most unusual monument to the unknown soldier on the site. The monument, while shaped in the familiar obelisk mold, is made entirely of geodes - rocks comprised of crystals. Lively’s monument is 12 feet of geodes high.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue, Nashville, Tennessee

While not technically a Civil War monument, this 1998 statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in Nashville is undoubtedly… different. Or, to put it in the words of many locals: frightening, hideous, offensive, disgusting - you get the picture. And what a picture it is. The statue has been the subject of much controversy in Nashville, and not all of it due to a modern recreation of Confederate General who has been associated with the Ku Klux Klan. The statue has been shot at, beaten, and subsequently repaired on many occasions, and most locals are hopeful that eventually the abuse to the statue will be such that it cannot be repaired.