title: History of the soldiers' monument in Waterbury, Conn.
text: m O V ^oV' 4 ay ^\K ^^, , 0* .»/^'* ^^ V r.V " o . '^- *?^: r^o^ ^oV" ':^o^ iK -^^^^ 0^ V^'^o^^-^\<^^ ^ A 4\^ '. "^^0^ ^v^^my^- K %.o^' .':^v, %/ :y- ^-^o'' % » e -^^0^ ( Adt & Brother, Photographers. Photo-Gravure Co. New York HISTORY THE SOLDIERS' MONUMENT WATERBURY, CONN. By JOSEPH ANDERSON, S.T. D. TO WHICH IS ADDED A LIST OF THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS WHO WENT FROM WATERBURY TO FIGHT IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION. j ■' No sound is breathed so poteiit to coerce, And to conciliate, as their ftames wJio dare For that szveet motherland which gave them birth Nobly to do, nobly to die. Their names, Graven on tncmorial colicvins, are a song Heard in the future. Ever) where, they meet Atid kindle generous purpose, and the strength To jnould it into action pure as theirs. — Tennyson's tiresias. PRINTED FOR THE MONUMENT COMMITTEE. 1886. F lo^ PRtSS Of "\Ht CKSt. \.OC¥.>WOOO !i BRMUkRO CO.. H^^^^50R0. CO«H WATERBURY SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. INTRODUCTORY. On the day when the Waterbury Soldiers' Monument was dedicated, I was invited to take in hand the prepara- tion of a volume devoted to the history of the enterprise. The collection of materials was at once begun; but it was not until the Monument was completed, a year later, that the work was seriously undertaken. From that time until now, it has been prosecuted amidst many interrup- tions, and at length brought to a conclusion in the face of many difficulties. It was stated in the New Haven Morning Nezvs of July 17th, 1883, that the Waterbury Soldiers'" Monument was the only one in New England " erected solely by subscription." Whether, up to the present time, it is the solitary instance of the kind, I do not know ; but it is certainly a conspicuous instance, not only because of its merits as a work of art, but because of its cost. It seemed important to the committee which had in charge its erection that a complete list of the subscribers to the monument fund should be published, with the precise amount (whether large or small) subscribed by each. This was the necessary basis of a treasurer's report, in which every dollar received should be accurately account- ed for. It seemed at the same time well worth while to VI INTRODUCTORY. »;'ivc, in connection with the subscrij^tion list, a somewhat detailed history of the enterprise, from its inception to its dedication, thus to show what place it held in the hearts of the people, and to illustrate for other commu- nities the process of monument building by popular sub- scription. The era of monumental memorials of the Civil War has not reached its close ; on the contrary, it has only just opened. If the example of Waterbury shall serve in the future as an incentive to other towns and cities of our land, I shall rejoice that it has been put so fully on record. It was almost a matter of course that a volume devoted to the story of the Monument should contain a list of the men who went forth from Waterbury to fight for the Union. It seemed all the more necessary to publish such a "roll of honor"' inasmuch as the Monument Com- mittee decided (wisely, it seems to me) that no names should be inscribed on the Monument itself. A list, as complete as it could be made, was prepared by Major F. A. Spencer, a member of the committee, and is repro- duced in the following pages.' By virtue of this list, if for no other reason, the volume takes its place amongst the local histories of the war time. Thoroughly to know a nation, whether in war or in peace, it is necessary to come near to the home life of its people. To understand our great civil conflict, in its causes, its incentives, and its effects, we must read not only the story of its battle-fields, but the lists of volun- teers, and the records of town meetings ; and to measure the impression produced by it, we must learn how tidings of disaster and bereavement were received in desolated homes, and must be able to trace the workings of patri- INTRODUCTORV. Vll Otic motive, years afterwards, in such an enterprise as this. The history of the Monument, and what may be called its "literature," have been given with perhaps unnecessary fulness, because we can see reflected in thenl the abiding impression produced by the war upon an exceedingly busy and rapidly changing New England community. The completeness of the war record of the town of Waterbury, from the beginning until now, is worthy of note. The part taken by Waterbury men in the War of the Revolution, and in previous conflicts, is narrated with considerable fulness in, the twentieth and twenty- first chapters of Dr. Henry Bronson's History of the town (pp. 324-361). Mention is made of a Waterbury company, numbering thirty-four persons, which took part in the "French and Indian War" of 1756. A list of those also who were actively engaged in the War of the Revolution is given, which, although characterized by Dr. Bronson as "very incomplete," includes two hundred and thirty-five names. The list of more than eight hundred names of Waterbury soldiers and sailors, contained in this volume, brings the honorable record down to our own time. Pains have been taken to make this history both full and accurate ; but to secure absolute accuracy in histor- ical details is an almost impossible thing. I have been impressed anew with the difificulty of rescuing from an easy oblivion facts of even recent date, and the equal difficulty, when the facts are secured, of arranging them chronologically in a readable narrative. If it should seem that the result is not worth the labor expended upon it, this must be borne in mind, — that the story Vlll INTRODUCTORY. of the Waterbury Soldiers' Monument is a contribution not only to the chronicles of a Connecticut town, but to the history of a redeemed nation. JOSEPH ANDERSON. Waterbury, Conn., July 4th, 1886. I. HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. "The monument means a world of memories, a world of deeds, a world of tears, and a world of glories. ... By the subtle chemistry that no man knows, all the blood that was shed by our brethren, — all the lives that were devoted, all the grief that was felt, — at last crystallized itself into granite, rendering immortal the great truth for which they died ; and it stands there to-day." — James A. Garfield, Oration at the Dedication of a Soldiers^ Monu- ment at Fainesviile, Ohio, in 1880. HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. THE FIRST PUBLIC SUGGESTION. Not more than two or three years had elapsed, after the close of the War for the Union, when some of the prominent men of Waterbury began to con- sider seriously the propriety of erecting a monument in honor of the patriotism and self-sacrifice of Water- bury soldiers. But, so far as can be discovered, no public mention was made of the subject until the lat- ter part of 1870. In the Waterbury American of November 26th, in that year, a proposal to erect a monument found definite expression, in an article entitled, "Who will Build it.?"^ The "liberty pole" which had stood for some years at the center of the " Green " had recently fallen ; and the article referred to, after congratulations upon the removal of the "unsightly mast which had swayed in the wind so long," proceeded as follows: The overthrow of this pole will afford special reason for congratulation, if it shall suggest to those in authority, or 'The article, and those which followed it on the same subject, appeared in the editorial columns of the American, but were written by the author of this volume. 4 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. rather to our men of taste and wealth, the erection in its stead of some work of art — whether a monument or a foun- tain — which would be a real ornament to the Green and an honor to the city. This cannot, with any propriety, be done at public expense, — cannot, at any rate, until the city has paid its debts ; but there are gentlemen among us — natives of Waterbury, who have risen to riches and honor here — who could not do a better thing for the education of our people in taste and pure sentiment than to erect a monument or a fountain on the spot where our huge flag- staff stood. Any one who should propose so elegant a gift to the city would of course wish to have the artist's design accepted in advance of building, by a committee competent to express an opinion on a work of art ; otherwise we might find ourselves saddled (if we may use a mixed metaphor) with a perpetual niglitmare. If he proposed a fountain, for example, he and his fellow-citizens would require to see that it was not composed of a group of impossible dolphins standing on their tails. If he proposed a monument — say to Waterbury soldiers, "dead on the field of battle" — he and his fellow-citizens should take care to have from the sculptor's chisel a work in which beauty, dignity, and sol- emn suggestion should be skillfully combined. The Fourth of July, in the year 1876, which will be the centennial birth- day of the nation, and, as nearly as may be, the bi-centen- nial of the settlement of our town, would be a good day in which to dedicate such a monument as we propose. If we would see it shining in that day's sunlight, we have not spoken an hour too soon. The uncomplimentary reference which the article contained to the liberty pole called out a conimuni- THE FIRST PUBLIC SUGGESTION. 5 cation in its defense from a citizen who signed him- self, " One wlio has Followed the Flag." The reply of the American, in its issue of November 30th, contained the following additional suggestions in regard to a soldiers' monument: The very removal of an old landmark suggests the erec- tion of something better in its place. Our Green, sur- rounded as it is by so many elegant residences, is one of the finest in the State ; but the grass-covered area itself requires something more than the long lines of trees which cross it, the dilapidated wooden railing which pretends to fence it in, and an old mast and platform at the centre ; it needs an ornament which will develop the patriotism of our youth, and at the same time cultivate their love of the beautiful ; or else some work of art which will be at once a standing illustration of what taste and skill can do, and a comfort to the thirsty lips of our population in the midsum- mer heat. We ask again, Who will build it } What public- spirited citizen will do honor to himself and confer a boon upon Waterbury for generations to come, by erecting, almost in the shadow of the institution which bears the name of Silas Bronson, a fountain for refreshment and beauty, or a monument in remembrance of our patriotic dead } The zeal of the comjjanions-in-arms of our lamented Chatfield should teach us the duty we owe, on a larger scale, to the fallen heroes of Waterbury. If it were thought best to erect a fountain — which, by the way, might equally serve as a memorial of the dead — let it be remembered that we have an advantage in this respect which few cities of the same size can boast, in our never-failing supply of water. . . That we can at the same time honor pat- 6 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. riotism, makes the opportunity all the better for doing a noble thing. Who bespeaks the privilege ? Two years later, the same subject was brought for- ward again in the same newspaper. In the Ameri- can of November 29th, 1872, appeared an editorial article, entitled, " What to do with the Green ? " in which various public improvements at the centre of the city were earnestly recommended, — amongst these the following : There is one improvement which we hope for, more valu- able than any other, — an improvement which was asked for in the columns of the American sometime ago, and which we trust may yet be received as a generous gift from some public-spirited citizen. In the centre of the Green, conspicuous from all points upon the square, should stand a noble work of art, in which Waterbury might do honor to its past, and at the same time educate the taste of the future. There are some who would like to see a fountain there, eclipsing by its beauty the fountains recently erected in larger cities. There are others who would prefer a sold- iers' monument, doing honor to the heroism of our citizen soldiers and to the cause for which they died. We see no reason why both ideas could not be combined in one, or why the gifts of two, or indeed two hundred, of our citizens could not be united for securing such an end. Will not some one, whose past or present relations to our town will give force to his appeal, enter upon the work of bringing about this worthy consummation, — so that the hopes and plans of those who desire to see our city made beautiful may be abundantly fulfilled. SAMUEL WILLIAM HALL. 7 S. W. HALL'S BEQUEST. Notwithstanding the interest thus exhibited, and these efforts, made through the press, to eiiHst the community in securing the erection of a soldiers' monument, it is quite possible that the enterprise would not have been undertaken, were it not for a bequest made by the late Samuel William Hall. Mr. Hall was a native of Waterbury, had spent his life in the town, and by devotion to business had ac- cumulated a considerable fortune. He died on the 5th of March, 1877, honored by his fellow citizens for his public spirit and his patriotism. When his will was admitted to probate, it was found to contain the following bequest : I authorize and direct my executors to expend a sum not exceeding five thousand dollars in the erection of a monument to the memory of the soldiers from the town of Waterbury who died in the service of their country in the late War of the Rebellion ; or, if an equal or greater amount can be raised for said monument in other ways, then my said executors may, if they see fit, contribute either a part or the whole of said sum toward said monument. ' 1 Samuel William Hall was born on the 5th of July, 1814 He was the third son of Captain Moses Hall. At the age of fifteen he entered the em- ploy of the Messrs. J. M. L. and W. H. Scovill, and a few years later took the entire charge of their mercantile business. After 1852 he had charge, for a short time, of the Manhan Woolen Company, and a little la'^er entered the in- surance business. Subsequently, he became president of the Scovill Manufac- turing Company and of the Citizens' National Bank, but was compelled to resign both positions by ill health in 186S. After his health began to fail, he spent the summer of each year in travelling for pleasure, and became widely 8 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. ACTION TAKEN BY "WADHAMS POST." The publication of the fact that such a bequest as this had been made, and was available, could hardly fail to produce some impression upon those who were interested in honoring the men who had fought in the War for the Union. It did not, however, begin to bear tangible fruit until the summer of 1880, when the matter was taken up by " Wadhams Post, No. 49, of the Grand Army of the .Republic." This Post was instituted in Waterbury on the 14th of August, 1879, by Charles E. Fowler, at that time Commander of the Department of Connecticut. For nearly ten years " Memorial Day " had been allowed to pass in Waterbury without public recognition; but in 1880 it was determined by the members of " Wadhams Post " that the occasion should be fittingly observed. Arrangements were made for public exercises, and a procession. The Rev. Edward G. Beckwith, D.D., then pastor of the Second Congregational Church, was invited to conduct a memorial service on Sunday known throughout the country. He was a communicant and a vestryman in St. John's Church, and among his public bequests were sevf ral for promoting the interests of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Waterbury and in mission fields. By a bequest of twenty thousand dollars, he provided for the erection of a memorial chapel (to the memory of his wife) at Riverside Cemetery, which was dedicated June nth, 1885. A list of his public bequests was given in the Waterbury American of March 14th, 1877. For several years before his death, Mr. Hall had cherished the purpose of doing something to secure a soldiers' monument for Waterbury. The clause containing a bequest of five thousand dollars for that purpose is found in a copy of his will drawn up in September, 1870. DR. BECKWITH S APPEAL. 9 afternoon, May 30th, and the Hon. Stephen W. Kel- logg to deliver the Memorial Day oration on the Green, on the afternoon of May 31st. Both of these gentlemen, in their addresses, gave prominence to the duty of commemoration. Dr. Beckwith's discourse was based upon the text, "A people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field," ^ and his theme was, "The duty of re- membering our dead soldiers." A PASSAGE FROM DR. E. G. BECKWITH'S DISCOURSE. In the course of the sermon he made the following reference to a soldiers' monument : Now what tribute shall a grateful people pay to such fidelity ? . . . I have said they ought to have perpetual remembrance in song and speech and flowers, But will you do no more } Remember what has already been said, — that the names of the men who fought the battles will not be written much in histories. But they ought to be written, if not where the world can read them, at least where their fellow citizens can read them. Oh, let us not give them tears and flowers only. Let us give them a memorial hall ; or let us give them at least a column, an arch, a fountain, some trophy of bronze that may outlive the years, and bear up the story of their deeds into heaven's sunlight in the sight of all the city. Let us engrave their names where every child in the city can read them as he 1 Book of Judges v. i8. The discourse was published in full in the IVaUr- biiry American of June 4th, 1S80; Mr. Kellogg's oration in the American oi June 1st. 2 lO HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. comes and goes. Let us engrave them so plain that every citizen of the busy city will see them even through the dust of our driving industry. Let us set them so high that the earliest rays of the morning sun will illumine them, and the last rays of the evening sun wreathe them with its golden glory. We owe it to their memory. We owe it to our honor. I think our own good name and plighted faith as a city are in it. I do not know what you promised the brave men who went out from this city for your defense; but I have no doubt you promised to keep their names hallowed. But whether promised or not, it is due. Let us then pay that debt to duty and loyalty, and let us pay it soon. We have waited long. Is it because we are planning something royally worthy ? So may it prove. But let us not be fatally slow in our planning. It is time we had made per- manent record of the names and deeds of our honored dead. A PASSAGE FROM THE HON. S. W. KELLOGG'S ADDRESS. Mr. Kellogg's address closed with the following appeal : To the eighty brave men who sleep in our own home ceme- teries, or in unknown graves, — to their living comrades yet spared to us, to take charge of this day's ceremonies, — the citizens of Watcrbury have yet another duty to dis- charge. Waterbury at the breaking out of the Rebellion was but a small city of ten thousand inhabitants ; and yet eight hundred, and more, of her sons — nearly one in twelve of her population — went forth to the war. This city has prospered and grown, until, as I venture to predict, the cen- sus of this week will show her population to be nearly MR. KELLOGG S APPEAL. II twenty thousand. Its wealth and its prosperity have outrun its increase of population. And yet — I grieve to say it ; it is with sorrow and a feeling of shame that I must say it — we have erected no monument ; we have placed here no lasting memorial of these brave men who died for us, to perpetuate their memory and their virtues. Ten years after the war, a generous and patriotic citizen of Waterbury, the late S. W. Hall, left by his will a direction to his executors to expend a sum not exceeding five thousand dollars for a memorial to our dead soldiers, leaving it to their discretion to use it when a proper amount was otherwise raised. His executors are ready to apply this liberal bequest for that purpose, whenever a suitable sum shall be raised to provide a memorial such as the dead and the living soldiers who went out from us deserve at our hands, and such as the wealth and prosperity of our city demand for them. Shall this duty be longer delayed .-' Shall it not be done now ? Whether it be a monument of bronze or marble, whether it be a memorial building, whether it be a triumphal arch, or a memorial fountain whose waters shall sparkle and play in the morning sunlight and in the parting day, let not this year 1880 pass over our heads with this work undone. A MONUMENT COMMITTEE APPOINTED. The fact that both of these gentlemen made public appeals at this time in behalf of a soldiers' monmTient was not a mere coincidence ; a concerted movement 12 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. had already begun, which revealed itself soon after- ward in another direction. It appears from the records of Wadhams Post that on the 17th of June the following action was taken by that body : Voted, That George W. Tucker, David B. Hamilton, and Frederick A. Spencer are hereby appointed a permanent committee on the erection of a soldiers' monument. The centlemen named in this vote were members of Wadhams Post, had served in the army during the war, and two of them had attained to positions of distinction in the military service of the State of Connecticut.^ They had already manifested in vari- ' George W. Tucker enlisted in the Twenty-third Regiment, Connecticut Vol- unteers (one of the nine-months regiments, Charles E. L. Holmes, colonel), on the 15th of August, 1862. He was made First Sergeant, was subsequently promoted to be Second Lieutenant, and was mustered out on the 31st of August, 1863. Mr. Tucker connected himself in 1863 with Company "A," Second Regiment Connecticut Militia (afterward "Connecticut National Guard "), and held successively the offices of sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, and lieutenant-colonel. He left the State service in 1874. Frederick A. Spencer was connected with the State militia of Connecticut from April, 1855, to July, 1858. He was Sergeant in Company " H," now Com- pany "A," of the Second Regiment. He entered the United States service on the 15th of May, 1862, as First Lieutenant of the Second Regiment of Colorado Cavalry. In 1862, and again in 1S65, his regiment was stationed among the Indians; during 1863 and 1S64 it was in active service in Missouri and Arkansas. Lieutenant Spencer was wounded in battle during the raid of the Confederates under Major-General Sterling Price, October 21st, 1863. He was mustered out September 23d, 1865. In 1876 Mr. Spencer was appointed Pay- master on the staff of Colonel Stephen R. Smith of the Second Regiment of the State National Guard. In March, 1877, he was chosen Captain of Com- pany "A" of the same regiment. In May, 1882, he was appointed Major and Brigade Inspector of Rifle Practice on the staff of Brigadier- General Smith, and held the position until January 1885, when he resigned. THE PERMANENT COMMITTEE. 1 3 oiis ways their interest in securing a soldiers' monu- ment for Waterbury, and were looked upon by their comrades as abundantly qualified to assume the gen- eral charge of the enterprise. They were accordingly left unhampered by specific instructions in regard to the design of the monument or its location, or the methods to be adopted for raising the required funds. A DESIGN SECURED. Soon after the appointment of these gentlemen as a committee, an informal meeting of business men and " veterans " was held at the rooms of the Water- bury Brass Association, to take into consideration the subject of a soldiers' monument in all its phases. About twenty persons were present. Various ques- tions were discussed, assurances of aid were extended which were regarded as placing the project on a firm basis, and the conviction was expressed that the com- mittee should proceed at once to procure a suitable design for the proposed monument, and to ascertain its probable cost. David B. Hamilton entered the service in iS6i. On the memorable rgth of April, in that year, he was in Baltimore, just after the attack upon the Union soldiers. The next day he was in Washington, and enlisted in the company of volunteers raised for the defense of the Capital by Colonel Cassius M. Clay. This was one of two companies of a hundred and fifty men each, made up of hotel guests and other non-residents. In a week or two he returned to Waterbury by the way of Annapolis, enlisted for active service, and was soon afterward commissioned as First Lieutenant in the Fifth Regiment of Connecticut Volun- teers. He was promoted to be Captain in September, 1862, and was honorably discharged for disability on the loth of January, 1S63. 14 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. Without further delay the committee proceeded to carry out these suggestions. Designs for a monu- ment were called for, and were received from more than a dozen competitors. These were submitted, without their authors' names, to the judgment of a special committee, composed of sixteen representative citizens. The design which fourteen of these gentle- men fixed upon as superior to any of the others proved to be that which Mr. George E. Bissell of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., formerly a resident of Water- bury, had sent in.^ A miniature model of the monu- ment which Mr. Bissell proposed to build was placed on exhibition in a show window of one of the stores of the city in February, 1881, and at the same time full descriptions of it were published in Waterbury and Hartford newspapers.^ According to Mr. Bissell's first design, the monu- ment was to consist of a granite column, raised upon an octagon die, with octagon base and sub-bases, and surmounted by a bronze statue, representing Liberty in danger, unfurling the flag of the nation in alarm. ' George Edwin Bissell was born in New Preston, Conn., on the i6th of February, 1839. He removed to Waterbury when about 14 years of age. On the 20th of A"ugust, 1862, he enlisted in the Twenty-third Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers, and was mustered out, with the rest of the regi- ment, on the 31st of August, 1863. He subsequently received an appointment as assistant Paymaster in the United States Navy, on the steamship " Mary Sanford" of the South Atlantic squadron, and held that position until the close of the war. Since the war he has been a resident of Poughkeepsie, except when he has been studying abroad, and has pursued the profession of sculptor. -See the IVaterlniiy Americati of February 9th, 18S1. MR. BISSELLS FIRST DESIGN. 1 5 Standing upon the die, and grouped around the foot of the column, were bronze figures, representing a company of soldiers falling into line. "They have heard the cry of Liberty, and are coming from all quarters to her support." Standing out from the four corners of the base were rectangular pedes- tals, supporting bronze figures representing respect- ively the North, the South, the East, and the West. One was a mechanic, abandoning the implements of his trade and grasping a sword ; another was a farmer, leaving his plow in the furrow, and seiz- ing a gun ; another was a woman seated, " holding in one hand the laurel wreath of victory, and in the other the olive branch of peace and the wheat sheaf of plenty ; " and the fourth was a group rep- resenting a mother relating to her sons the history of the great conflict, with the aid of a model of the first iron-clad gunboat, the " Monitor," and a miniature piece of ordnance. The height of the figures sur- rounding the base of the shaft was four feet and a half ; of the figures on the pedestals at the corners of the base, six feet ; of the statue of Liberty, four- teen feet. The entire height of the proposed monu- ment was sixty feet. This design, in which one of the artist's motives was to produce an impression of height, was adopted by Mr. Bissell on the supposi- tion that the monument was to stand on the Green amidst tall trees. When, in the summer of 1883, the present site, near St. John's church, was fixed upon, l6 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. it became necessary to abandon the first design and adopt one of a quite different character; otherwise the monument would have invited comparison with the tall spire of the church, and would inevitably have suffered from the contrast. tup: subscription paper. It was at first supposed that the sum of fifteen thousand dollars would be sufficient to provide a suitable monument. It was found, however, that to erect such a monument as Mr. Bissell had designed would require more than twice that amount. The committee, nothing daunted, determined to go for- ward with the work, and also decided that the neces- sary funds should be raised not by a town or city tax, as in other places, but by the voluntary contributions of the people. A subscription paper was drawn up, in which Mr. James S. Elton, one of the executors of the will of Samuel W. Hall, was named as treas- urer of the monument fund. The subscription paper was as follows : Whereas, It is becoming that a suitable monument be erected to the memory of all soldiers and seamen who were residents of and belonged to the town of Watcrbury, county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, at the time of their enlistment, and who died in the military or naval service of the United States of America in the late war ; and Whereas, It is proposed to raise a fund for said purpose, and James S. Elton, of Watcrbury aforesaid, has consen- SUBSCRIPTIONS INVITED. I7 ted to sec to its proper distribution and expenditure, and has accepted the trust as treasurer of said fund for the purpose aforesaid, Now, therefore, in consideration of the premises, and to the end that such a monument may be erected in the town and city of Waterbury, we, the subscribers, do hereby sever- ally, each for himself and his respective executors and administrators, promise and agree to pay the several sums set opposite our respective names to the said James S. Elton, treasurer, aforesaid, or his successor, on or before the first day of January, 1883, for the uses and purposes aforesaid. Dated at Waterbury, this loth day of February, 1881. The local press had already been made use of to create a more general interest in the projected monu- ment. The Waterbury American of February 3d, 1881, contained an article entitled, "Sliall we Have a Soldiers' Monument.? " in which the appointment of a special committee by Wadhams Post was referred to, and the following appeal was made for contributions : Everybody will, of course, wish to contribute to the monument fund according to his means and disposition, and the committee will give all an opportunity to do so. Any amount will be acceptable, and it ought not to require much effort to raise the required sum. It is a shame that Water- bury should have so long neglected the duty she owes to the memory of her dead heroes Many towns in this State, of not more than two or three thousand inhabitants, have erected soldiers' monuments, and this growing city should no longer be derelict in extending to the soldiers, who went 3 l8 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. forth from their homes in the prime of their manhood, and shed their blood for their country, the honor to which they are entitled. On the loth of February the committee made their first report to Wadhams Post, and the following- action was taken : Voted, That the committee on a soldiers' monument be instructed to present to this Post on Thursday evening, February 24th, a subscription paper, — that each comrade may have an opportunity to subscribe what he feels able to give to the monument fund. The subscription papers which had been prepared were now circulated throughout the city, in stores and manufactories, and at the same time the follow- ing appeal was published, addressed " To the Busi- ness Men of Waterbury." It was dated February 25th, 1 88 1, and was signed by the members of the committee, "in behalf of Wadhams Post, G. A. R." It will be twenty years in April next, since the firing on Fort Sumter called out the first gallant band of young men from your factories and work-shops, and from their own loved homes, to a four-years war. It will be sixteen years next April since the war was virtually ended by the sur- render at Appomattox. Eight hundred brave men went forth from among you to bear the toil, perils, and privations of war. Eighty of this number lie buried in soldiers' graves. You remember the promises and pledges that were made to these men — "that, living or dead, their devotion to their country should ever be honored, and tlicir names AN APPEAL TO BUSINESS MEN. I9 and their deeds kept in grateful remembrance." The surviv- ing soldiers have waited long and patiently for a crowning act to fulfil these promises. They are glad that, while they marched and fought and suffered, the war gave business and prosperity and wealth to your manufacturing industries at home. They rejoice that peace is now within your walls, and prosperity in all your homes. They think the time has come, in its fulness, when the promises made to them should be fulfilled, and that from your abundance you should now contribute a sufficient sum to erect at once a suitable monument in honor and remembrance of your own volunteer soldiers, the living and the dead. A generous bequest of the late Samuel W. Hall is in the hands of his executors, ready for this work. The members of Wadhams Post of the "Grand Army" propose to contrib- ute according to their means, for the immediate erection of a suitable memorial to their dead comrades. Will you not come forward and unite with them now in raising a sum sufficient to erect a monument worthy of Waterbury, and worthy of the men who gave all they had, even their lives, that the blessings of free government might survive to you and your children ? ' The response on the part of the "veterans" was as prompt and as hearty as could have been expected. On the 28th of February the committee reported that they had already received subscriptions "from members of the Post and other ex-soldiers" to the amount of two thousand dollars; "and as they have as yet seen only about sixty of the three hundred ex- i See the IVaterl/ury American, February 26th, 1S81. 20 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. soldiers residing in Waterbury, and all seem to be desirous of contributing something, they are confi- dent that the total subscription from the soldiers will reach at least two thousand five hundred dollars — perhaps three thousand."^ But the task of raising the fund by popular sub- scription, in the community at large, was necessarily slow, and subject to frequent interruptions. As Memorial Day (1881) approached, it was sought to communicate a new impulse to the work, and arrangements w^ere made for another celebration. The Rev. Joseph Anderson, D.D., pastor of the First Church, was invited to conduct a memorial service, on Sunday evening, May 29th. The "com- rades" of Wadhams Post were present in a body, and an address was delivered on " The Duty of Com- memorating the Nation's Dead, and How we may Fulfil it." PASSAGES FROM DR. ANDERSON'S ADDRESS. Dr. Anderson, having spoken in general terms of the duty of retrospection and commemoration, pro- ceeded as follows : Let me remind you that such commemoration as I speak of is especially appropriate in regard to a nation's dead soldiers. In the history of every people there are many others who are worthy besides those who have perished in war — teachers, preachers, authors, artists, inventors, discov- erers, statesmen — the obscure as well as the conspicuous; ' See the Waterbury American, February 28th, 18S1. A PLEA FOR COMMEMORATION. 21 and we should welcome every biography, every monument, designed to perpetuate the remembrance and to display the character of those who in any sphere have attained to great- ness. But in the case of those who have perished in war, those considerations are obvious and impressive which in other cases have to be laboriously developed. There we have not only noble acts, but willing self-sacrifice. To the saying of the ancient poet, the hearts of all true men respond with a throb of approval, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ; and the grandeur of their death makes those who die doubly dear to our memory, and prompts us at once to commemorate them. In regard to those who died in our own Civil War, such a feeling must exist in its strongest form. We had read of war, but we had not tasted its bitter- ness, or recognized the grandeur and terror of its opportuni- ties. We had heard of heroism in suffering and death, but had not seen our beloved ones put to the test. But now our own eyes saw the struggle, the sacrifice, the triumph in death. By the outpouring of their blood upon the battle- field, we heard men testifying of themselves "as poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." Here was courage, here was nobleness, here was true greatness-; and shall we not give it our tribute .-* How can we refrain .-* Here — upon the high ground of right, I may almost say of justice — we might well take our stand. But there is nothing to forbid our looking in another direction also, and considering the reciprocal benefits which accrue to iis from a proper commemoration of the dead. . . . There is nothing that solidifies and strengthens a nation like a rever- ent reading of the nation's own history — whether that history is recorded in books, or embodied in customs, insti- 22 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. tutions, and monuments. A people that studies its own past, and rejoices in the nation's proud memories, is likely to be a patriotic people, the bulwark of law, and the cour- ageous champion of right in the hour of need. For we must remember that in the life of a nation ideas are not the only things of value; sentiment also is of great value; and the way to foster sentiment in a people, and to develop it in the young, is to have a well-recorded past and to be familiar with it. Let young and old read the nation's history; let them stand upon its sacred spots; let them visit its battle- fields ; let them study its monuments, and learn their full significance; and when the new ordeal comes, as come it doubtless will, the nations will witness again the uprising of a great people. Thus do I place before you the duty of commemorating the nation's dead, and some of the reasons which should prompt us to its fulfilment. A question which remains to be considered is: How this good purpose — supposing it to exist — shall be carried out.'' It will hardly do to say, "The dead will be remembered at any rate"; it seems desirable that special measures of commemoration should be adopted, especially by a people living so exclusively in the present (or, rather, in the future) as we do. In view of this fact, we should place a high estimate upon the simple and beautiful custom to which I referred at the beginning — that custom which the nation will recog- nize on the morrow at thousands of graves. Because of its very simplicity it has a good prospect of becoming per- petual ; and we ought to bear in mind that there is nothing more nearly permanent in human life than a well-established custom. But the existence of such a custom as this is itself suggestive of something more. The flowers with which we A PLEA FOR A MEMORIAL. 23 "laurel the graves of our dead" — scattered once a year, to wither in a day — have a certain inadequacy about them. In a society well established, rich, and strong, we think of something more substantial, something tangible, monumen- tal, and therefore enduring though customs should change and fail. I wonder whether we appreciate the value, in this respect, of soiid and noble monuments.'* A few days ago, in the Central Park, New York, I made my first visit to the great obelisk which has recently been conveyed across the seas from Egypt. I had opportu- nity to look at it for a few moments only, but I could not, if I would, throw off the impression it made upon me. As I recall my long ride through that May morning, I think of the glimpses of landscape I had from time to time, of the masses of the yellow bloom of forsythia, of the noble build- ings which a great city is erecting for the education and entertainment of its people; but my thoughts return, after all, to the Alexandrian obelisk. It is but a rough stone, covered with characters which I could not read, the fine lines broken by the wear and tear of years. But the associ- ations of a long, long history cluster around it, in the imagination of any intelligent looker-on, as the ivy clings to a ruined tree or wall. Every man reads its story for himself, and finds his soul enriched by it. But he remem- bers, at the same time, that its real history can be traced, that its hieroglyphics can be deciphered, that the object it was meant to commemorate is not unknown, that it embodies a precious record concerning the oldest of civ- ilized nations; and bowing in presence of its hoary majesty, he understands, as never before, the historical value of monuments. Neither can he forget that the entire history of the countrv whence it came is written in the same grand 24 HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT. 