Putnam honors local Civil War veterans with a monument in a small park at the corner of Grove Street (Route 12) and Ring Street.
The dedication on the monument’s front (east) face reads “To the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Putnam and vicinity who fought for the preservation of the Union 1861 – 1865.”
The bottom of the base is also stamped with the years of the Civil War, and a bronze Grand Army of the Republic medal appears just below the infantryman’s feet.
The base of the north and south faces features raised cannons symbolizing artillery units, and the west face features crossed rifles to honor the infantry. Other than the plaque on the front face, the monument does not have additional lettering.
The monument was erected in 1912 by the A.G Warner chapter of the Woman’s Relief Corps. The Relief Corps was an auxiliary organization of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union veterans’ organization formed after the Civil War.
The Putnam chapter was named after Addison G. Lawrence, a cavalry officer who was killed in Virginia in 1864.
A flagpole stands in front of the monument. A tree visible when the Connecticut Historical Society photographed the monument in the early-to-mid 1990s has been removed.
Source:
Connecticut Historical Society: Civil War Monuments of Connecticut
Tags: Putnam