Carrollton Missouri and Gen. James Shields Monuments - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

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.

Book: Missouri Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 477 Year Originally Published: 1941

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/27/2014 YoSam. visited it