Saugus Historical Society: "Soldiers and Sailors, Civil War Monuments in New England"

Soldiers and Sailors: Civil War Monuments of New England September 8, 2004 Saugus Historical Society Almost every New England town has its Soldiers and Sailors Monument, tributes to the sacrifices made by its townspeople in the war that killed more Americans than any other. Often the most conspicuous example of public art, many of these monuments occupy prominent locations while others are tucked away on less visible sites. Some towns have more than one - donated by different organizations or the result of changing tastes and interests which encouraged townspeople to build a new monument of a different style. There are even new Civil War monuments being built today, as well as many that have undergone restorations in the last few years. The statues are often the work of leading 19th and early 20th century sculptors. Favorite motifs include soldiers and sailors in realistically detailed Civil War uniforms, allegorical figures of classical women representing "America" or "Victory", columns, obelisks, and artillery. Have you stopped and looked at the monuments on the North Shore? How about the bronze soldier in New Hampshire which took a bullet hole in the shoulder? Have you seen the spectacular trumpeter on his lively horse galloping in Brookline? Or the infantryman in York, ME that so many people have thought was a Rebel soldier? What about the intricate white bronze monument in Portsmouth,NH with its architectural detail, reliefs of the ships Kearsarge and Alabama, and other figures, that originally stood about 40' tall? There is a golden lady and a granite soldier in a Malden cemetery, and members of all branches of the service in granite on Wakefield Common. National and local history combines with art when you look at the many styles of Civil War monument seen throughout New England. A slide lecture which will give you an "armchair tour" of several of the most interesting and unusual Civil War monuments in New England will be given by Laura Eisener for the Saugus Historical Society at ....p[;-jk,mn 0p , St. John's Church on Wednesday, September 8. The gathering time, with refreshments, will be from 6:45-7:30 PM, with the lecture immediately following the 7:30 business meeting.