A large bronze and granite monument in Bridgeport’s Mountain Grove Cemetery honors local Civil War dead buried in distant battlefields.
The Pro Patria (“For One’s Country” in Latin) monument was dedicated in 1906 by the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post, with funding help from the state. The front (south) face of the monument features a large granite plaque that depicts an infantryman and a sailor standing with heads bowed.
The plaque, in five columns, lists the name, rank, regimental affiliation, and date and place of death of local residents killed in the war and not returned for burial. A dedication along the bottom reads “In loving memory of those who did not return.” A scrolling ribbon along the top of the plaque lists the battles of Fort Sumter (S.C.), Vicksburg, Mobile Bay, Antietam, Gettysburg and Appomattox.
The monument was created by Bridgeport sculptor Paul Winters Morris, who also created the Abraham Lincoln bust on New Milford’s green.
The monument, topped by a bronze sculpture of a soldier’s hat, coat and sword, stands at the front of a GAR plot containing 83 graves of Civil War veterans buried after the war. The corners of the GAR plot are marked by pyramids of cannonballs, which is uncommon in that most cannonballs that were incorporated into Civil War monuments were later removed during World War II metal drives.
Source:
Connecticut Historical Society: Civil War Monuments of Connecticut
Tags: Bridgeport