The ''Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument'' is a figural group sculpted by

Adolph Alexander Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...

atop a pedestal designed by architect Albert Randolph Ross in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, commemorating the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

military personnel of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The figural group shows

Bellona Bellona may refer to: Places *Bellona, Campania, a ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta, Italy *Bellona Reef, a reef in New Caledonia *Bellona Island, an island in Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands Ships * HMS ''Bellona'' (1760), a 74 ...

and the personification of Victory together with a citizen-soldier turning from his plow and anvil as he dons a uniform and sword belt. Behind Bellona there is also a fig tree. The entire group stands on 12-foot high

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

base, which has two relief panels. The monument's dimensions are approximately 10 ft.x102 in.x150 in. (sculpture) and 139x102x150 in. (base). The monument is the only public Civil War monument honoring Union military personnel in Baltimore.

History

The monument's erection was authorized by the General Assembly of Maryland on April 5, 1906. The monument was dedicated on November 6, 1909 and originally stood in Druid Hill Park before its relocation to Wyman Park in 1959 to accommodate the Jones Falls expressway. In October 1992 a survey to determine the monument's condition was conducted. On April 9, 1997 the monument was rededicated.

Features

The monument's north panel has a marble relief depicting a cavalry and infantry charge and the opposite relief shows a naval attack. The back of the base features reliefs of a sword, an eagle, a shield, and an anchor. The base is surrounded by

exedra An exedra (plural: exedras or exedrae) is a semicircular architectural recess or platform, sometimes crowned by a semi-dome, and either set into a building's façade or free-standing. The original Greek sense (''ἐξέδρα'', a seat out of d ...

bench with cannon posts around the edge. The exedra features a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription "Scvto bonae voluntatis tvae coronasti nos" ("You have crowned us with the shield of Your good will", which is taken from the

seal of Maryland The Great Seal of the State of Maryland is the official government emblem of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its official service is to authenticate acts by the General Assembly of Maryland (state legislature), but it is also used for display purpos ...

). The base's front bears an inscription: "Erected by the State of Maryland to commemorate the patriotism and heroic courage of her sons who on land and sea fought for the preservation of the federal Union in the Civil War 1861–1865".

References

{{Adolph Weinman, state=collapsed 1909 establishments in Maryland Outdoor sculptures in Baltimore Relocated buildings and structures in Maryland Tourist attractions in Baltimore Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Maryland Union Army Union Navy Works by Adolph Weinman Sculptures of birds in the United States Sculptures of goddesses

History

Features

See also

References