Soldiers & Sailors Monument; Freeport, Illinois
Erected in 1869 in honor of the
Ninety-Second Illinois Volunteer Regiment
and all other soldiers from Stephenson County
who fought for the Union in the Civil War
Chronology of Events in Life of Monument
(Source: Freeport Journal-Standard, Freeport, Illinois; Saturday, July 4, 1998; page 24; H. G., author)
Monument Timeline
February 1868: Monument envisioned, initiated at GAR organizational meeting
1868: County residents contribute $3,500; county board donates $6,000
1868: National appeal for voluntary submission of architectural design concepts; General Smith D. Atkins, local 92nd hero, submits winning design
October 1869: Cornerstone laid in grand ceremony
Italian sculptor Giovanni Meli creates four seven-foot terra cotta soldiers found on the corners of the base. These four soldiers represent four military branches – infantry, cavalry, artillery, navy.
Meli also creates 13-foot high terra cotta “Victory” statue which is placed atop the 83-foot high monument, making entire structure a towering 96 feet high.
June 1871: Construction completed
July 4, 1871: Dedication ceremony attended by 20,000 citizens, including veterans from War of 1812 and Mexican War. Atkins, last-minute replacement for Illinois’ governor, delivers rousing dedication speech. Local German citizen also addresses crowd in German. Bands from Freeport, Monroe and Warren entertain.
Soon after monument’s completion, a cast-iron fence was built around it.
1910: Monument cleaned with steel brushes. Statues painted.
1912: Sidewalk placed around monument.
1924: Engraved bronze plaques replace original engraved white marble plaques. Only Civil War casualties had been listed on original white marble plaques. When these new bronze plaques were set in place, engravings included names of all Stephenson County’s Civil War veterans, whether they were casualties or not. In addition to being members of the 92nd, these county veterans were members of other regiments, also.
1930s: Monument again cleaned and painted. “Victory” polished and painted with aluminum sheen, allowing her to glitter brightly.
October 1, 1960: Lightning bolt decapitates “Victory”, showering debris below. Sadly, her final resting place is landfill. The monument itself, all 83 feet of it, remains intact.
1970s: County board considers destroying monument.
1998: Placement on National Register of Historic Places.
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Two brief anecdotes, one observation and a plea:
Anecdote #1: A few years ago, I stood in the shadow of this wonderful monument. While creating a pencil rubbing of the engraved plaques, a curious gentleman approached and inquired, “Why are you so fascinated with this structure?” I briefly explained my great-great-grandfather’s name was engraved on it and the monument, itself, held special meaning. He then related the struggle to preserve the monument and confirmed that in the 1970s, the county did, indeed, consider removing it. Public outcry, including protest from local Vietnam War veterans, successfully prevented this outrageous attempt to destroy one of Freeport’s most magnificent attractions.
Anecdote #2: Later that same day, I spent some idle moments in a local Stephenson County park discussing local history with anyone who might pass by. Striking up a conversation with a middle-age gentleman who claimed to be a longtime Freeport resident, I complimented him on his city’s Civil War monument.
To my astonishment, he exclaimed,“There is no Civil War monument in Freeport!” I smiled and gave him the exact address of this structure, explaining that I had just been there that morning enjoying its beauty.
Again he protested,“I drive past that intersection twice every day to and from work, and I’ve never noticed it! It can’t be there!” He walked away in disbelief.
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My Humble Observation and Plea (Prompted by second anecdote above): Sadly, this gentleman’s refusal to believe demonstrates just how jaded we all have become. Are we so selfishly consumed with our own daily twenty-first-century trials, that we are incapable of recognizing even the existence of a majestic 83-foot war memorial on the public square? Please forgive me, but it’s shameful how indifferent and oblivious we all have become to the impassioned sacrifices of our ancestors.
Americans everywhere need to stop and smell the roses. I don’t care if you live in Freeport or Frankfort, Denver or Des Moines. Please take some time soon to seek out one of America’s historic landmarks. By doing so, you just might experience a soothing sense of patriotic pride in what that landmark represents.
I applaud the citizens of Stephenson County, Illinois, for maintaining this glorious Soldiers’ Monument. May it remain a part of Freeport’s landscape forever.
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There are over three thousand Stephenson County veterans’ names engraved upon this monument’s plaques. Appropriately, one of the plaques displays the following inscription:
TO THE
HEROIC DEAD
OF
STEPHENSON
COUNTY
1861 – 1865
Listed below are names of 92nd Illinois soldiers engraved on the monument.
(As any of you who have made pencil rubbings know, these pencil etchings can be illegible at times. In a few instances, I have been unable to decipher a complete name from my rubbing. In such cases, I cross-referenced with the Adjutant General’s Roster to obtain the proper spelling. But as we all know, those AG rosters often had misspellings themselves! If you see any error in the spelling of any of these names, please alert me, so I can make corrections. Thank you.)
92 REG. ILL. INF.
COLONEL
ATKINS, SMITH D.
LIEUT.-COLONEL
DUNHAM, CHRISTOPHER
ADJUTANTS
LAWVER, IVAN C.
TRUGUARD, CHARLES
QUARTERMASTER
SWEELEY, PHILIP
CO. A
CAPTAINS
BOLLINGER, WILLIAM
TIMMS, HARVEY W.
LIEUTENANTS
COX, WILLIAM
FROST, WILLIAM H.
PRIVATES
ARMAGAST, HUGH S.
ARMAGAST, JAMES C.
BABBITT, CALVIN W.
BABCOCK, JOHN S.
BAKER, LAMBERT
BAKER, WILLIAM H.H.
BALLIET, DAVID
BALLIET, HENRY
BASINGER, WILLIAM
BAUM, SAMUEL Y.
BEACH, JAY A.
BEVBERLY, WILLIAM H.
BODDY, WILLIAM
BOOP, GEORGE
BRYMAN, HENRY
BUCHANAN, CHARLES
BUTLER, DAVID W.
CALDWELL, JEPTHA
CANNING, JOHN P.
CHENEY, CHESTER
CHENEY, MATTHEW
CHURCHILL, EUGENE S.
CHURCHILL, GEORGE W.
COLE, WALTER G.
COX, LEGRAND M.
DEMONS, JOHN
DENURE, DANIEL
DENURE, WELLINGTON J.
DUNN, JOSEPH J.
DUSENBURY, ABRAHAM H.
EGLESTON, CHARLES W.
ELDRIDGE, MADISON P.
ELDRIDGE, ROSWELL
ERB, WILLIAM
GASSMANN, CHARLES
GAYLORD, DANIEL C.
DAYLORD, FRANCIS H.
GELZ, LEONARD
GODDARD, WARREN C.
GREER, DAVID C.
GUNSAUL, JOSEPH
HAKES, EDWARD
HARSHBARGER, SAMUEL
HATCH, WELLINGTON
HAYNES, WASHINGTON
HOPPE, ERNST
JOHNSON, GEORGE
JUDSON, CHARLES O.
KNOX, HARVEY B.
LEIGH, JESSE R.
LOWER, JOHN J.
MCCARTY, THOMAS
MCCRACKEN, JOHN
MACK, GEORGE C.
MACK, HARVEY B.
MARSHALL, CHARLES
METCALF, GEORGE
MERRILL, EMMETT A.
MILLER, GAYLORD
MILLER, MORRIS R.
MOOTHART, WILLIAM
NEWMAN, RICHARD
PENCIL, WILLIAM
PERRIN, NOAH
PICKARD, LUTHER
PLACE, REUBEN R.
PROUTY, JAMES N.
RAND, NATHANIEL
REEDER, JOHN
RICHARDSON, GEO. W.
ROBBINS, HENRY
ROBINS, SIDNEY L.
RUDY, HENRY
SMITH, WILLIAM W.
STOCKS, HENRY W.
STOVER, SOLOMON C.
SWEELEY, PHILIP
TAYLOR, JAMES
THOMPSON, JOHN R.
TUMBLESON, JOHN
TYLER, DOLPHUS
TYLER, NATHAN C.
VINCENT, CHARLES
WEIDER, LEVI A.
WENDLING, MICHAEL
WICKWIRE, WILLIAM
WILLIAMS, ALBERT
WIRE, JASPER A.
WIRE, VALSON
WITHEY, WILLIAM
WRIGHT, WATSON
CO. E
BEST, AARON
BEST, JAMES T.
BEST, ROBERT
CROTZER, ANDREW
HYNDMAN, ALEX
HYNDMAN, GEORGE
JOHNSON, ST EPHEN
STAHL, WILLIAM
WARREN, RUFUS
WILSON, COATES
CO. F
CAPTAINS
DUNHAM, ALFRED G.
DUNHAM, CHRISTOPHER
MAYERS, WILLIAM D.
LIEUTENANTS
DOVE, WILLIAM C.
KNAPP, CHARLES M.
WORK, JAMES J.
PRIVATES
ACKER, GEORGE
ADAMS, BENJAMIN
ALLARD, MATHIAS
ALLARD, STEPHEN
ALLLEN, HIRAM
ANDERSON, CHARLES
ATKINS, GEORGE C.
ATKINS, JOHN C.
AURAND, JOEL
AURAND, THOMAS J.
BABB, DANIEL P.
BAKER, ELMUS
BAKER, PERRIL G.
BENTLY, NELSON
BERRY, JOHN
BIGGER, JOHN C.
BRANINGER, DANIEL
BUCKMAN, ZACHARIAS
BURGESS, DAVID R.
CHARK, SAMPLE J.
CLARK, THOMAS
COLBY, ALBERT H.
COLTON, JOHN
COUNTRYMAN, ADAM
CUFF, JOHN
DOMMAL, HEINRICH
EATON, URIAH K.
ENGLEMAN, JACOB
ENGLEMAN, SOLOMON
FERRIN, HARVY
FOX, HENRY
FOX, JAMES
FRIERY, JOHN
FURMAN, ALONZO M.
GIDDING, LUTHER
GREGORY, JOHN
GRIER, DAVID C.
HAUM, VALENTINE
HEMMENWAY, ALVA O.
HETHERTON, JAMES
HODGESS, JAMES P.
HOLMES, SPENCER
HOY, HENRY
KESTER, ASA
KROTZER, JACOB
LAMBERT, EPHRAIM
LAMBERT, JEREMIAH
LAMME, JACOB
LOHR, PAUL
LONG, BENJAMIN F.
LONG, JONATHAN
MARL, GEORGE E.
METZ, ZEWELLER
MILLER, ADAM W.
MITCHELL, ORRIN J.
MORRIS, WILLINGTON
MOWRY, JOHN
OWEN, HENRY
PENTICOFF, DANIEL
PENTICOFF, SAMUEL
PETERMIRE, FREDERICH
POPE, WILLIAM W.
PRESTON, CHARLES
PURINTON, CHARLES
REESE, ABBOTT G.
REESE, WILLIAM H.
SAGER, CONRAD
SANDERS, JAMES
SCHLOTT, JOHN H.
SEDAM, LEVI K.
SMALLWOOD, JAMES
SWEET, MARTIN A.
SWEET, NOAH
TARBERT, ANDREW
THOMAS, ELIJAH
THOMPSON, GEORGE
TRINE, SAMUEL G.
TRUCKENMILLER, EDW. C.
TURNEAURE, JACOB M.
TURNEAURE, WM. H.H.
WENTIONER, GEORGE W.
VOUGT, DANIEL R.
WHITESIDE, THOMAS
WHITING, WARREN
WILCOXEN, OSCAR D.
WILLIAMS, FRANCIS J.
WILSON, JOHN A.
WINSLOW, EBEN C.
WORK, WASHINGTON
WRIGHT, WILLIAM
YOUNG, ELIAS
CO. G
BENNETT, THOMAS J.
BEST, JACOB S.
BITZ, JACOB
BUNKER, HIRAM
BUNKER, HOLLIS M.
BURBRIDGE, WILSON
BUTLER, WILLIAM
BYRUM, GEORGE
CARVER, FRANK
CARVER, HENRY
CHAMBER, JOE
CHAIR, DAVIS B.
CLARK, H ENRY H.
CLARK, REUBEN
COLTON, JOHN C.
CORNFORTH, JOHN