More on Civil War Memorials in the North
Between Sandy and illness, I have not been able to post for a while, but here goes. Juliet Moringiello reminded me of the Civil War memorial in Lancaster, Pa. It is a stunner; perhaps the best I have ever seen. One interesting feature of the monument is a memorial to sailors in the Northern Navy, a tribute I do not believe I have seen anywhere else. (The Navy played a decisive role in the Civil War, of course; it was not just the blockade, but the ability to move troops along the periphery, a feat Admiral Mahon must have admired.) I cannot find pictures other than these on Wikipedia, which are pretty striking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers_and_Sailors_Monument_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania)

As I look at these monuments, I am struck by the beauty of the sculptures. Notice the lovely flowing lines and the gestures of the pictured combatants. American sculpture certainly had reached a high point by the end of the 19th century, although I am not aware of any serious art commentary on point. Nevertheless, the Civil War monuments often display stunning beauty.

Comments

[Charles Paul Hoffman]

While not exclusively a Civil War memorial, there is also a Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in downtown Indianapolis, completed in 1902. It was originally meant as a Civil War memorial, but during the construction it sort of turned into a general veterans memorial.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers'_and_Sailors'_Monument_(Indiana)

[Bill Turnier]

I agree with Charles' observation on the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It is the grandest such monument that I have ever seen. I visited it on several occasions in the 1960s and 70s. I vaguely recall that one used to be able to take an elevator up the central column, I believe that is no longer possible. You can find a multitude of photos of it on the web. It is truly spectacular in a great central location in Indianapolis.

[EC2]

There is a Civil War soldiers & sailors monument in Albany, NY, although it has also since become a general Veterans' memorial.

http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2012/10/30/the-soldiers-and-sailors-monument

[Alfred Brophy]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for this -- I hope to get a picture of the Lancaster monument next time I'm home to the Philadelphia area. I think there's a monument to Confederate soldiers and sailors in Raleigh -- need to check this, but I think that went up around 1900. So maybe the Southern states were modeling their monuments after the United States?

[Bill Reynolds]

Al. The Confederate Navy was far more interesting--after all, necessity is the mother of invention. But I would be surprised to see a monument to Southern sailors