Inscriptions:The war for the Union was right, everlastingly right, and the war against the Union was wrong, forever wrong. (Names of 107 Lewis County Union men killed during war, plus battles in which they participated.)
This thirty-foot monument was erected by the citizens of Lewis County in 1884. Funds were raised by public subscription. It is one of the few Union monuments in the state, and may be the only Union monument south of the Mason-Dixon line paid for by public subscription and erected in a public place other than a cemetery. Lewis County, on the northern border dividing the north and the south, was a Union stronghold during the War.
The tall pedestal supporting the statue is divided into eight sections and is quite ornate. One segment features friezes of cannons, swords and tents; one is an Ionic capital; one is a frieze of oak and laurel leaves; one is a capital with Egyptian motifs.
The figure--one of only three limestone Civil War figures in the state--is a Union soldier in a winter great coat, cape and kepi hat. He clasps his musket with both hands, the butt resting on the ground directly in front of him.
The inscription includes part of the first stanza of Theodore O'Hara's The Bivouac of the Dead. Lines from this famous poem are included on at least seven Civil War monuments in Kentucky.
Questions/Activities:
This statue was made possible by citizens of the community working together to raise the funds needed. Discuss examples of projects in your community for which public support and monies have been generated.
Read the inscription on the monument. What does it tell you about the allegiance of Lewis Countians during or after the War?
