Dedicated on February 28, 1868, this large bronze and granite statue is topped with a figure of a Union Soldier in full uniform, holding the barrel of his rifle in his left hand, the butt resting on the ground. The figure was created by sculptor Franklin Simmons and cast in the Ames Foundry at Chicopee, Massachusetts. Each side of the base holds a bronze plaque listing soldiers from Lewiston who lost their lives in the Civil War. Above each is a quotation, the four of which are reprinted below.
One of the first monuments erected in the US after the Civil War, it stands about fifteen feet in height. The photo below is from about 1870, not long after the monument was placed.
We Lie Here In Obedience To The Spirit of
Liberty
Justice Demanded The Sacrifice
We Willingly Offered It
In Our Death Is Freedom's Victory
The Republic's The Ashes Of
Her Defenders