Man on the Monument - Urbana, OH - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

County of art: Champaign County
Location of art: center of traffic circle, Urbana
Artist: Thomas Dow Jones, 1811-1881, sculptor. (seems there is some doubt)
Founder: National Fine Art Foundry, New York
Fabricator: Moser & Company
Plaques Text:
(On base): DEDICATED DEC. 7, 1871
(On south side of base): SHILOH
(On east side of base): VICKSBURG
(On west side of base): GETTYSBURG
(On base, above relief plaque:) IN MEMORY OF THOSE BRAVE MEN OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY WHO DIED IN THE WAR TO SAVE THE UNION, 1861-1865

Proper Description:
" Full-length figure of a dismounted Union cavalry officer with head bowed in grief for his fallen comrades. His coat is draped over his shoulders and he leans on his sword which is held in his proper left hand. His proper right hand rests on his hip. The sculpture rests atop a granite base that is adorned on the north side with a relief depicting a fierce battle scene. On the other sides of the base are the names of major battles in which Champaign County soldiers fought." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum

"Champaign County sent 3,235 men to fight for the Union in the Civil War. 578 men lost their lives and it is to these men that the statue that stands today in Urbana's town square is dedicated. The statue, referred to as, The Man on the Monument, is a bronze cavalryman, facing the north with head bowed for his fallen comrades." ~ Small Town Gems

Remarks:
"In the fall of 1865, the Champaign County Civil War Soldiers Monument Association met with artist Thomas Dow Jones to discuss plans for a monument. In 1867, the association contracted with Messrs. Rackel and Moser of Columbus to build the granite base and pedestal for the monument. The following year, Rackel and Moser presented their own, alternative, design for the monument, which was placed on display in downtown Urbana. Although there is no further mention of either Jones or Rackel/Moser in the town records, it is widely believed that Jones was ultimately selected to design the monument, since the final artwork resembles his original design proposal. The only exception is that Jones suggested a round pedestal base as opposed to the nearly square pedestal which was ultimately constructed. On Sept. 4, 1870, the base was installed by Moser & Company of Columbus at a cost of $2,500. In 1870, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed a resolution granting permission for a Confederate cannon to be donated to the Champaign County Soldiers Monument Association. The captured Confederate cannon was originally displayed in front of the Citizens National Bank, but was later moved to Monument Square, and installed next to the newly constructed base. Later, the cannon was melted down and used to fabricate the statue of the cavalry officer featured in "Man on the Monument." The cavalry officer was installed the following year at a cost of over $1,100. Funds were raised through public subscription. A plaque, possibly zinc, indicates that the monument was rededicated in 1972. The monument was maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution for several years in the early 1900s." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum