First Defenders Statue, Pottsville, PA - American Civil War Monuments and Memorials on Waymarking.com

The monument was built by the Soldier's Monument Park Association of Schuykill County. It was given to the Pottsville Borough Council.

It is located in Garfield Square which is at the intersection of N 5th Street and W Market Street. The text on the monument reads:
FROM A POPULATION OF 80,000, SCHUYLKILL
COUNTY DURING THE WAR OF SESESSION
GAVE TO THE ARMY AND NAVY OF THE
UNION 13,000 VOLUNTEERS

In 1951, a plaque was added to honor African American Nelson Biddle. It reads:
IN MEMORY OF
THE FIRST DEFENDERS
AND
NICHOLAS BIDDLE
OF POTTSVILLE
FIRST MAN TO SHED BLOOD
IN THE CIVIL WAR
APRIL 18, 1861

ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF POTTSVILLE APRIL 18, 1951

The inscriptions on the monument are: East side: “Erected A.D. 1891. This memorial is the tribute of Schuylkill County to her brave sons who served in defense of the Union, 1861-1865”;

North side: “from a population of 90,00, Schuylkill County, during the War of Secession, gave the army and navy of the Union 13,000 volunteers”;

West side: “Love, Honor, Renown and lasing remembrance for those who fought for freedom and in imperiled country. May posterity profit by their example. Dulce et decorum est pro patri mori”;

South side: “The Washington Artillery and National Light Artillery, of Pottsville, 246 men, were a part of the 530 Pennsylvanians who first arrived for the defense of the national capital, April 18, 1861.”

Date Installed or Dedicated: 11/09/1897 Name of Government Entity or Private Organization that built the monument: Soldiers Monument Park Association of Schuykill County Union, Confederate or Other Monument: Union Rating (1-5): Related Website: [Web Link] Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/29/2024 pafireman3 visited it 09/10/2022 bernardwolf visited it

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