(Author photo)

The National Cemetery at Gettysburg was the first of its kind in the world. Dedicated in 1863, where Abraham Lincoln gave his immortal address to remember the many who fought and died at Gettysburg, the cemetery was not yet complete. The burials from the Gettysburg slain were not yet all located, nor was the landscaping finished.

America’s first National Cemetery was, and is, beautiful and symmetrical. Trees from various areas of the nation were planted, and the layout is an architectural wonder. Yet, it seemed that it still needed something more to memorialize the courageous acts of the veterans, especially those who did not survive the battle.

There was still one more addition to be placed, one that had been part of the original plan of cemetery architect William Saunders. A large monument was to be erected in the center of the cemetery, to be surrounded by a perfect semi-circle of the Gettysburg Union graves.¹

This Soldiers National Monument was designed by artist James G. Batterson, with Randolph Rogers as the sculptor.²

The cornerstone of the immense memorial was laid on July 4, 1865, mere months after the end of the Civil War. A dedication ceremony was held for the occasion, with Union General Oliver O. Howard giving the dedicatory address. Just two years earlier, General Howard’s corps had fought on Cemetery Hill in a desperate fight to keep the Union together at Gettysburg. He remembered, “terrible scenes” on that same ground. He declared, “This monument is not a mere family record, not the simple memorial of individual fame, nor the silent tribute to genius. It is raised to the soldier. It is the memorial of his life and his noble death.”³

The work to complete the memorial took four years. It was placed and dedicated on July 1, 1869. In the interim, an urn filled with flowers, typically placed in cemeteries at the time, was placed near the burials of the First Minnesota, giving that small act of remembrance the precedence as being the official first memorial at Gettysburg. Less than two years later the long labors of those creating the Soldiers National Monument finished their work, to great acclaim.

The monument hosts five personification sculptures, with Liberty at the top of the obelisk. She holds a sword in her left hand and a wreath in her right hand, symbolic of the terrible fight in which the Union – and American liberty – were finally victorious. Beneath her are a circle of stars, eighteen in all, representing the eighteen Union states whose soldiers are buried in the National Cemetery: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Seated upon marble stands above the base and beneath Liberty are four representative statues: the bearded soldier who represents War, a woman holding a quill with a book in her possession, who records the actions at Gettysburg is known as History, a man surrounded by his industry and work represents Peace, and a woman with sheaves of wheat is Plenty.⁴

The Soldiers National Monument impressed visitors to Gettysburg and its cemetery, insomuch that veterans and statesmen of the continuous states decided to create more memorials to honor their veterans, especially the fallen. Throughout the rest of the 19^th century and into the 20^th century, hundreds of monuments have since been erected and dedicated at Gettysburg.

General Howard echoed their sentiments toward the soldiers who fought for the future of the nation. They were, he said, “a patriotic brotherhood of heroes.”⁵

A journalist who saw the battlefield shortly after the guns grew silent was likely the man who best described the effects of the nation’s worst conflict: “Ye advocates of war, come here and look, and see what compensation is – for this carnival of death.”⁶

One hundred and sixty years later, we still come to Gettysburg to remember the result, and the tremendous cost incurred for so many. 

Sources: Hawthorne, Frederick W. Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments. Gettysburg, PA: Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides. Sheridan Press, 1988.  Howard, Oliver O. Dedication Address, "Program of Laying the Cornerstone of the Soldiers Monument", Gettysburg National Cemetery. Gettysburg: Cemetery Association, Aughenbaugh & Wible, Printers, 1865. The Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 15, 1863; accessed through newspapers.com. Soldiers National Cemetery File, Gettysburg National Military Park (hereafter GNMP).

End Notes:

 1. Soldiers National Cemetery File, GNMP. 

2. Hawthorne, p. 131. 

3. Howard, Cornerstone Program, p. 36. 

4. National Cemetery File, GNMP. 

5. Howard, Cornerstone Program, p. 40. 

6. The Philadelphia Public Ledger, July 15, 1863.