Soldier's Monument (Davenport, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
The Soldier's Monument is an historic structure in the College Square Historic District
in Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. The monument, which was built from 1880 to 1881, was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993.
after his assassination. The Lincoln Monument Association of Scott County, Iowa was incorporated on May 25, 1865. After six years the association collected $529.25, with the accumulated interest of $148.50, the total amount they had for the monument amounted to $707.40. Nicholas Fejervary offered to donate $1,300 if the monument would be erected to Scott County’s Civil War
dead instead. After accepting the offer donations to the monument fund inreased.
The association hired R.J. Carver of South Rydate, Vermont to design the monument. The monument association approved the design on June 5, 1880. A site was chosen in the middle of Main Street between Grace Cathedral, now Trinity Cathedral
, and Griswold College, now the campus of Davenport Central High School
. The monument was built for $8,000. It was constructed 1880-1881 and dedicated on July 4, 1881. The monument was given to the city of Davenport on January 15, 1906. At one time patriotic exercises were held at the monument each Memorial Day
by the local Grand Army of the Republic
post, the Loyal Legion
, the Sons of Veterans, the Woman's Relief Corps and other patriotic organizations.
of English Granite
that rises 50 feet (15.24 m). It is topped by a statue of a Union soldier, which faces south towards the Mississippi River
in the valley below. He measures eight feet (2.4 m) tall. The base for the monument is 17 feet, six inches square, with buttress extensions at the corners. The monument's foundation are at least seven feet (2 m) in the ground and is composed of Nauvoo stone and it rests on a cement floor.
There are four panels with inscriptions on each side of the monument. The south panel reads: "Erected by Grateful Citizens of Scott County In Memory of the Fellow Citizens who Died in Defense of the Union 1861-5". The west panel bears a quote from General H. W. Halleck: "Proved themselves the Bravest of the Brave". The panel on the north bears a quote taken from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
: "They died, that the government of the People, by the People and for the People might not perish from the Earth." The east panel's quote is from Inspector General W. E. Strong: "An Honor to their Friends at Home, to their State and their Country * * * a Terror to their Foes."
The lower section of the shaft features bas reliefs of the following emblems: the coat of arms of the United States (south); heavy crossed sabers, belt, cartridges and revolvers, which represent the cavalry (west); crossed cannon, which represent the artillery (north); and an anchor and shot, which represent the navy (east). On the first plinth
above the lower section of the column, are emblematic wreaths. Over the U.S. coat of arms is the laurel-representing joy; over the cavalry symbols, the ivy-representing lasting remembrance; over the artillery symbols, the oak-representing strength; and over the navial symbols, the olive-representing peace. The two plinths above the second and third sections of the column have the names of the battles in which local soldiers fought engraved on each side of the column. The battles listed are: Shilo
, Donelson
, Iuka
, Wilsons Creek
, Fort Blakely
, Corinth
, Prairie Grove
and Vicksburg.
The capstone at the top of the column features a shield and carving on each side. Above the capstone is a pedestal for the statue of a soldier who represents the infantry. At one time the monument was surrounded by an iron fence.
College Square Historic District
College Square Historic District is located on a bluff north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983. The monument, which was built from 1880 to 1881, was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993.
History
A movement to erect a monument began in 1865 when an association was created to establish a monument to President Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
after his assassination. The Lincoln Monument Association of Scott County, Iowa was incorporated on May 25, 1865. After six years the association collected $529.25, with the accumulated interest of $148.50, the total amount they had for the monument amounted to $707.40. Nicholas Fejervary offered to donate $1,300 if the monument would be erected to Scott County’s Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
dead instead. After accepting the offer donations to the monument fund inreased.
The association hired R.J. Carver of South Rydate, Vermont to design the monument. The monument association approved the design on June 5, 1880. A site was chosen in the middle of Main Street between Grace Cathedral, now Trinity Cathedral
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa)
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is the historic cathedral in the Diocese of Iowa. The cathedral is located on the bluff overlooking Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974...
, and Griswold College, now the campus of Davenport Central High School
Davenport Central High School
Davenport Central High School is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Davenport, Iowa. Opened in 1907 as "Davenport High School," Central is one of three public high schools part of the Davenport Community School District. The school, whose western side is located along U.S...
. The monument was built for $8,000. It was constructed 1880-1881 and dedicated on July 4, 1881. The monument was given to the city of Davenport on January 15, 1906. At one time patriotic exercises were held at the monument each Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
by the local Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
post, the Loyal Legion
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...
, the Sons of Veterans, the Woman's Relief Corps and other patriotic organizations.
Architecture
The monument is an obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
of English Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that rises 50 feet (15.24 m). It is topped by a statue of a Union soldier, which faces south towards the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the valley below. He measures eight feet (2.4 m) tall. The base for the monument is 17 feet, six inches square, with buttress extensions at the corners. The monument's foundation are at least seven feet (2 m) in the ground and is composed of Nauvoo stone and it rests on a cement floor.
There are four panels with inscriptions on each side of the monument. The south panel reads: "Erected by Grateful Citizens of Scott County In Memory of the Fellow Citizens who Died in Defense of the Union 1861-5". The west panel bears a quote from General H. W. Halleck: "Proved themselves the Bravest of the Brave". The panel on the north bears a quote taken from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
: "They died, that the government of the People, by the People and for the People might not perish from the Earth." The east panel's quote is from Inspector General W. E. Strong: "An Honor to their Friends at Home, to their State and their Country * * * a Terror to their Foes."
The lower section of the shaft features bas reliefs of the following emblems: the coat of arms of the United States (south); heavy crossed sabers, belt, cartridges and revolvers, which represent the cavalry (west); crossed cannon, which represent the artillery (north); and an anchor and shot, which represent the navy (east). On the first plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
above the lower section of the column, are emblematic wreaths. Over the U.S. coat of arms is the laurel-representing joy; over the cavalry symbols, the ivy-representing lasting remembrance; over the artillery symbols, the oak-representing strength; and over the navial symbols, the olive-representing peace. The two plinths above the second and third sections of the column have the names of the battles in which local soldiers fought engraved on each side of the column. The battles listed are: Shilo
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
, Iuka
Battle of Iuka
The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans stopped the advance of the army of Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price.Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
, Wilsons Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
, Fort Blakely
Battle of Fort Blakely
-Sources:**-External links:*...
, Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
, Prairie Grove
Battle of Prairie Grove
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on 7 December 1862, that resulted in a tactical stalemate but essentially secured northwest Arkansas for the Union.-Strategic situation: Union:...
and Vicksburg.
The capstone at the top of the column features a shield and carving on each side. Above the capstone is a pedestal for the statue of a soldier who represents the infantry. At one time the monument was surrounded by an iron fence.