Carrollton Missouri and Gen. James Shields Monuments
N 39° 23.017 W 093° 29.137
15S E 458177 N 4359460
Quick Description: Mexican War hero, Union Civil War General,and the only man to represent three states in the United States Senate (Illinois,Minnesota, Missouri) is remembered by two exquisite monuments here.
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2009 9:34:25 AM
Waymark Code: WM7Q4B
Views: 0
Long Description:From page 477
“Carrolton (665 alt. 4070 pop.) , seat of Carroll County , occupies
a high bluff overlooking the Missouri River bottom In November of
1819,John Standley, his seven sons, and John Trotter settled within
the present limits of the city, When Carroll County, named for
Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was
organized January 2, 1833, John Standley donated land for the
county seat…. Carrollton had slow growth until the completion of
the …Railroad (now Wabash) after the Civil War.
THE GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS MOUNUMENT, east side of the
court-house lawn, is a life-size bronze statue on a high
red-granite base. General Shields was born in County Tyrone,
Ireland May 12, 1806, and to America in 1826….. Shields represented
three states in the United States Senate: Illinois (1849-55),
Minnesota (1857-59) , and Missouri (January- March 1879), and was a
veteran of the Black Hawk, Mexican, and Civil Wars. He came to
Carroll County in 1866, and died at Ottumwa, Iowa, June 1, 1879. He
is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, northeastern edge of Carrolton,
where a monument erected by the Federal Government marks his
grave.”
I had never been to Carrollton, Missouri , but had seen online
the WAYMARKS of Civil War Generals --that included General Shields.
I then consulted the Missouri : THE WPA Writers Guide and decided
to visit not only the court-house lawn statue of General Shields,
but also the monument in St. Mary’s Cemetery and take along my GPS
unit. After a successful trip I came home and found courtesy of
Google the e-book on ”The Life of Major General James Shields, hero
of Three Wars and Senator from Three States.”
Though many Missourians have never heard of General Shields, or
the two exquisite statues of him—one erected by the people of
Missouri, and one erected in St, Mary’s Cemetery by an Act of the
United States Congress in 1910, this quote from the book tells us
that this man born in Ireland was indeed a true American hero from
long ago. Starting In Illinois:
“State Legislator, State Auditor, Judge of the Supreme Court —
almost every position of honor in their giving was placed upon his
shoulders. One notable proof of his popularity stands prominently
forward: James Shields is the only man in the Republic ever chosen
by three distinct states to represent them in the National Senate.
The only man! This trinity of tributes, which is so conspicuous a
testimonial to his exalted worth, reflects glory on those states
themselves. In honoring a man like Shields they did honor to their
own sense of justice and uprightness. “
In summary this Irish immigrant survived severe wounds in both
the Mexican and Civil War. He did not fight his Civil War battles
in Missouri, but in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where he once
tactically outfoxed Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson.
I don’t think there was another Union General that accomplished
that feat.
And finally he was an eloquent statesman in the United State
Senate. There are TWO eloquent statues in Carrollton, Missouri, one
in the US Capitol Gallery, and one at the Minnesota State Capitol
that bear silent tribute to his hero status.