Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Timeline:
1861 - The American Civil War begins.
1863 - John M. Corse was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to the command of the Fourth Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps.
1865 - The American Civil War ends.
1888 - The Soldier's and Sailor's Monument is approved.
1894 - The cornerstone for the monument is laid.
1896 - The monument is completed.
1945 - Because a controversy developed over the location and artistic details it took 50 years for the dedication to take place. It was finally dedicated in 1945.

Iowa artist Harriet Ketcham's design for the memorial is selected over 47 others. She died before the monument was completed and never got to see it dedicated.

Both real and symbolic figures are portrayed. "Victory" is the most prominent figure, topping the 135-foot structure. Four equestrians, all Iowa Civil War Generals are depicted: Marcellus M. Crocker who joined Grant at the siege of Vicksburg; Grenville M. Dodge, who built the railroads to support Grant's army and accompanied Sherman on the "March to the Sea"; Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Union Army at Pea Ridge; and John M. Corse.

The four soldiers depicted on the upper base represent Iowans who served in the different branches of the military during the Civil War. Infantryman Shelby Norman was the first Iowan killed in battle, he was only 18 years old. Ensign William H. C. Michael, a school teacher turned sailor. Artilleryman Captain Henry H. Griffiths, whose battery never lost a gun throughout the war. Calvaryman Lt. James Horton who was killed while leading a saber charge at the battle of Lovejoy Station.

Iowa had the largest number of soldiers per capita of any state participate in the Civil War, at nearly 80,000 military men. Noted Iowa generals and battle scenes are pictured on the base. the north side portray Iowa as a mother offering nourishment to her children. The south side "History" gazes into the future and "Iowa" is shown as a youngster.

This monument is located on the Iowa State Capitol Complex and is part of the Monuments and Memorials Tour in Des Moines.

Previous articles in the series:
Allison Monument
American Revolution
Bicentennial Fountain
Bicentennial Time Capsule
Centennial Time Capsule
Christopher Columbus Memorial
Cornerstone
Crocker Memorial
Daniel Cooper Memorial Tree
Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Flagpole
Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Memorial Bench
Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Sundial
Great Seal of Iowa
Japanese Bell and Bell House
Korean War Memorial
Liberty Bell
Lincoln and Tad
Martin Luther King, Jr. Tree
Memorial Bench
Mortar
Parrot Rifle
Peace Pole
Pioneer Statuary Group and Buffalo Head Drinking Fountain
Purple Heart Combat Veterans
Scott's Grave
Sesquicentennial Tree
Shattering Silence

Iowa And The Civil War Nothing But Victory

Like many states of the union of the time Iowa had men and women sign up to fight in the Civil War. As with other northern states that bordered states who supported and had people who fought for the south, Iowa had men who joined the Confederate Army. Some of these men and women who fought for both sides were likely members of the same families, towns and communities, especially along the Iowa and Missouri border.

Many think the Civil War was just about slavery and the northern states putting an end to it or the southern states keeping it going. That is incorrect, the war was not just about slavery. Slavery was on its way to being abolished by the time the war started. It would have eventually been fazed out. One reason is it was no longer as profitable as it was 100 years before the 1860's. For example on a cotton plantation it was costing to more money to purchase, own and maintain a slave than the profit a slave could generate in the cotton fields. The Civil War did help hasten the end of slavery, but was not the only reason the war had been fought.

It was about so much more. President Lincoln wanted to keep the country unified as the United States of America, not let it separate into 2 broken countries because of the differences. He wanted both sides to come to an agreeable compromise. The south wanted to continue to live their way of life, which included slavery, along with so much more. Unfortunately it took the American Civil War to cause this to happen.

It took some time but the people in the southern states figured out they should swallow their pride, can still live their lives as they see fit, use modern technology and machinery to operate their plantations and farms without having to own another human being to do so.

On display at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa is the Iowa And The Civil War Nothing But Victory exhibit. It will be on display from April of 2012 to April of 2013. It tells a lot of the story of Iowa's involvement in the American Civil War.