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The Dayton Soldiers' Monument dominates the Dayton National Cemetery from atop a mound at the center of the landscape. The cornerstone was laid in 1873, and it was completed in 1877. This dramatic structure is composed of a 30-foot marble column on a granite base with an ornamental cap and soldier posed at parade rest. At the corners of the base stand four figures representing the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy. The column is especially significant for having been designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and used on his Bank of the United States building in Philadelphia. Latrobe worked on the White House and U.S. Capitol, and is credited with introducing Greek Revival architecture to America. President Rutherford B. Hayes delivered the dedication address on Sept. 12, 1877, to a crowd of about 22,000. Two ornamental artillery cannons are located at the base of Soldiers' Monument.
| Ornamental Cannon
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Soldier at the Top
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Ornamental Cannon
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From the Smithsonian Description:
Thirty foot tall marble column surmounted by the full-length figure of a Civil War soldier standing guard. The marble soldier is in uniform, wearing a cap and an overcoat with the top cape thrown over his proper right shoulder. He holds a rifle in both hands, the butt of the gun rests on the ground. The top of the column is ornately carved. The column rests on a two-tier square base. At each corner of the lowest tier of the base stands a full-length marble figure representing the Infantry, the Cavalry, the Artillery and the Navy respectively. The monument sits on a low granite base.
| the Infantry
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the Cavalry
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the Artillery
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the Navy
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From the Smithsonian Remarks:
The cornerstone for the monument was laid on July 4, 1873. All funding for the monument was raised by the Monumental and Historical Association, except $2000 which was donated by the federal government to complete the project. A time capsule containing a Bible, a copy of the Constitution of the United States, photographs, coins, muster-roll of officers and men of the National Home, major newspapers from ten cities, and other memorablilia was placed in the cornerstone. The marble shaft is a column from the portico of the U.S. Bank of Philadelphia, given to the State of Ohio. President Rutherford B. Hayes attended the 1877 dedication ceremony. In 1990 vandals toppled the four lower figures, causing extensive damage. A. Ludwig Klein and Son were contracted to restore the figures and reconstruct the monument. IAS files contain copies of the Rededication Ceremony program and related documentation from the Dayton National Cemetery, including a list of documents included in the time capsule.
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