The trauma of the American Civil War faded in the memories of the boys who marched off to find the glories of a righteous war and who came home older and worn veterans.  By the end of their time, as the 19th Century faded into the 20th, veteran's organizations and communities began to erect memorials to commemorate their service.  On courthouse lawns, town squares and beside the final rest of those who had served regiments of soldiers frozen in stone and bronze were posted to stand silent watch over the new nations future by recalling its past.

Born of a 1999 visit to the battlefield at Gettysburg this site is an attempt to begin to catalog these reminders of our historical heritage of service.  We have not been able to find any prior work recording the thousands of monuments that were erected.  This project is the result of that search.  It is, of necessity, a work in progress.  We started in our own neighborhood, Champaign County, Illinois.  New pages will be added as we find new subjects to record and memorialize. 

You can contribute to the effort by e-mailing us with a description and location of similar memorials in your neighborhood.   If you do, please include specific directions to the site, a general description of the memorial.  If you know the date it was erected and the sponsoring organization please include that as well.  Your photos of the site accompanied with your permission to publish them would would be appreciated.  

Those who have forgotten their history are doomed to repeat it.  We must preserve our memories of that long ago conflict.

Send your comments and contributions

© 1999 LiKe Production, 2404 Leeper Dr., Champaign, IL 61822

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