The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (also known as "Our Lady of Victories") is a monumental statue located in Monument Square,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. Dedicated on October 28, 1891, it honors "those brave men of Portland, soldiers of the

United States army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and sailors of the navy of the United States who died in defense of the country in the late

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

".Acts and resolves passed by the ... Legislature of the state of Maine
/ref> The monument's base has the inscription ''Portland: To Her Sons Who Died for The Union''. It is a bronze statue mounted on a granite base, depicting a female figure facing west, clad in armor and covered by flowing robes. She is holding a sword wrapped in a belt in her right hand and a shield and a branch of oak leaves in her left hand. The figure is an allegorical representation of

Victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

. On two sides of the base stand bronze groups of three sailors and three soldiers. On the northern side, the central figure is Brigadier Francis L. Vinton of Fort Preble. Maine sailors are honored on the opposite side, with Admiral David G. Farragut being the central figure. The sculpture was created by Maine sculptor

Franklin Simmons Franklin Bachelder Simmons (January 11, 1839 – December 8, 1913) was a prominent American sculptor of the nineteenth century. Three of his statues are in the National Statuary Hall Collection, three of his busts are in the United States Senat ...

; the base was designed by New York City architect

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...

. Portland architect Francis H. Fassett selected the site's original landscaping. The local

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

lodge raised sufficient funds for to pay for the monument. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on April 1, 1998. The monument stands on the former location of Portland's

Market House A market house or market hall is a covered space historically used as a marketplace to exchange goods and services such as provisions or livestock, sometimes combined with spaces for public or civic functions on the upper floors and often with a ...

, which was built in 1825. It was modified in 1833 to become Portland's first city hall. It was demolished in 1888, with today's monument replacing it three years later.

References

{{Public art in Portland, Maine Monuments and memorials in Portland, Maine 1891 establishments in Maine 1891 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Maine Granite sculptures in Maine Outdoor sculptures in Maine Sculptures of women in Maine Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Maine Francis H. Fassett buildings