Monuments Soldiers' Monument, Worcester, Mass.

John Hartwell

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The city of Worcester, Mass., located very close to the center of the state, had a population in 1860 of 24,960. During the war, 2,496 Worcester men served in all branches of the U.S. military -- exactly 10% of the total population, male and female. Of those, 148 were killed or mortally wounded, 66 died as PoWs, and 112 died of disease. Another 322 were disabled.

In 1871, the Worcester Soldiers' Monument Committee commissioned sculptor Randolph Rogers to design a Soldiers’ Memorial to honor those who had given their lives for the Union. The City appropriated $35,000, and an additional $15,000 was raised by subscription. The monument was dedicated on July 15, 1874.
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It consists of a tapering granite Corinthian column crowned by a bronze goddess of Victory, a three-tiered granite pedestal adorned with bronze plaques, buttresses surmounted by four bronze statues representing branches of the military – Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Navy – with the whole resting upon a rough granite base flanked by four cannons, barrels buried.
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The pedestal's top tier is adorned with four relief plaques: the City of Worcester seal, the Massachusetts state seal, the United States seal, and a pair of crossed swords encircled by a laurel wreath. The middle tier features relief busts of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew, a battle scene of a dying soldier supported by a comrade, and the monument's dedication plaque. The bottom tier features four inscription plaques listing the names of the 398 Worcester soldiers who died in the war.
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When built, the monument was approximately 66 ft tall, and the base was approximately 24 ft square. The ground level was raised in 1969, burying the rough-granite base, so the monument is now approximately 4 ft 0 in (1.22 m) shorter.

Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument at Worcester.
 
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Worcester also has a very fine equestrian statue of Gen, Charles Devens:
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Sculpted by Daniel Chester French, it was dedicated on July 4, 1906.

It is intended as a monument for all the men of Worcester County who gave their lives for the Union.
TO
GENERAL DEVENS
AND THE
MEN OF WORCESTER COUNTY
IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION
1861-1865
 
The city of Worcester, Mass., located very close to the center of the state, had a population in 1860 of 24,960. During the war, 2,496 Worcester men served in all branches of the U.S. military. Of those, 148 were killed or mortally wounded, 66 died as PoWs, and 112 died of disease. Another 322 were disabled.

In 1871, the Worcester Soldiers' Monument Committee commissioned sculptor Randolph Rogers to design a Soldiers’ Memorial to honor those who had given their lives for the Union. The City appropriated $35,000, and an additional $15,000 was raised by subscription. The monument was dedicated on July 15, 1874.
It consists of a tapering granite Corinthian column crowned by a bronze goddess of Victory, a three-tiered granite pedestal adorned with bronze plaques, buttresses surmounted by four bronze statues representing branches of the military – Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Navy – with the whole resting upon a rough granite base flanked by four cannons, barrels buried.
The pedestal's top tier is adorned with four relief plaques: the City of Worcester seal, the Massachusetts state seal, the United States seal, and a pair of crossed swords encircled by a laurel wreath. The middle tier features relief busts of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew, a battle scene of a dying soldier supported by a comrade, and the monument's dedication plaque. The bottom tier features four inscription plaques listing the names of the 398 Worcester soldiers who died in the war. Around the base a

When built, the monument was approximately 66 ft tall, and the base was approximately 24 ft square. The ground level was raised in 1969, burying the rough-granite base, so the monument is now approximately 4 ft 0 in (1.22 m) shorter.

Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument at Worcester.
Excellent monument. I particularly like the four soldier statues around the base.
 
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