TheSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument is awar memorial located on the 366-foot (112 m) summit ofEast Rock inNew Haven, Connecticut. It is visible for miles from the surrounding area andLong Island Sound. The monument was completed in 1887 and honors the residents of New Haven who gave their lives in theRevolutionary War, theWar of 1812, theMexican War, and theCivil War.[1] It is 112 feet (34 m) high[1] and 87 steps to the top.[2]
Interest in the monument began as early as 1878, when the New Haven-basedAdmiral Hull Foote Post of theGrand Army of the Republic began lobbying citizens for a large war memorial in New Haven, and a site on theNew Haven Green was dedicated in the following year.[3] A committee and funds for the monument were formed in an 1882 town meeting, but objections about the high number of GAR members in attendance prompted litigation that stalled the project.[4] In 1883, the monument committee advertised adesign competition for the monument. At least 15 designs were submitted, including one byAlexander Doyle andJohn M. Moffit after the deadline.[3][4] The committee also solicited designs fromGeorge Keller andAugustus Saint-Gaudens, who each had designed several well-known Civil War memorials, but both declined to submit proposals.[4] In 1884, the monument's site was moved to East Rock after the city council decided to retain the defunctConnecticut State House, causing further delays.[4]
Two years after the original solicitation, aneoclassical design by Moffit & Doyle was selected, including an observatory, bronze statuary, and redgranite shaft. Work was undertaken in 1886 by New Haven firm Smith & Sperry, with the bronze casting completed by theAmes Manufacturing Company and theDecorative Bronze Company.[4] The monument was dedicated on June 17, 1887, with 175,000 people in attendance at the ceremony and parade, including GeneralsWilliam Tecumseh Sherman andPhilip Henry Sheridan as guests of honor.[3]
The inscriptions on theSoldiers and Sailors monument are as follows:
Southwest face (Civil War battles)
Southeast face (Revolutionary War battles)
Northeast face (War of 1812 battles)
Northwest face (Mexican–American War)
In addition, the northwest face bears a large plaque with the following inscription: "1861-1865 Soldiers and Sailors of New Haven who died in defense of the Union." This inscription is followed by a three-column casualty list of twelve regiments ofinfantrymen. The frame of the plaque depicts numberedbadges andflags. Some legible names along this border include:
41°19′38″N72°54′17″W / 41.32725°N 72.90462°W /41.32725; -72.90462
