Prospect Hill - Sidney, NY
Posted by: 
ripraff
N 42° 18.712 W 075° 23.148
18T E 468205 N 4684476
Prospect Hill has 2 cannons that were intended as part of a soldiers monument. The monument seems to have never been completed. They were sold at a later date, but two cannons have currently been placed at the cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMRHBM
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2016
Views: 1
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"The first steps towards securing a Soldiers' monument located in the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Sidney, New York began on May 16, 1903. In September of 1903 two 1,476 lb. howitzers left Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama for their final journey north. The total freight for delivery was $35, much being paid for by the citizens of New York. These guns while in the Confederate Army did active service against the Union fleet under Admiral Farragut, during the bombardment of Mobile, when the Admiral was lashed to the shrouds of the flagship "Hartford". This fact will add historic lustre to their possession as they stand guard over the remains of Northern soldiers they were employed, at one time, to destroy. The howitzers were received in December of 1903 and stored until the spring of 1904 until they could be placed in the Soldiers Lot."
"I am just in receipt of a letter from the Ordnance Department stating that the commanding officer of Fort Morgan, Mobile, Alabama, has been requested to turn over to you two twenty-four pound howitzers from that fort. He has also been requested to communicate with you relative to the route of shipment, payment of transportation charges, etc. I enclose you herewith suggestions relative to mounting cannon on granite block or other substance, and a blueprint showing same mounted. These guns are not considered safe for firing. Hoping that you will receive the guns at an early date."
"(November 2008) Enlarge Much controversy surrounds the two missing howitzers. In 2005 a private businessman from Pennsylvania began buying up many Civil War Cannons in and around central New York. The two howitzers, which had stood in the Prospect Hill Cemetery, for over 100 years were sold for $35,000 for the inclusion in a military museum in Pennsylvania. Much uproar was felt throughout Sidney, especially those involved with the historical society. The howitzers will probably never be returned to the cemetery"
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