New Hartford honors its Civil War veterans with a 24-foot-tall monument in the southwest corner of Village Cemetery.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument stands near the cemetery entrance along Town Hill Road (Route 219).
A dedication on the monument’s front (south) base reads, “Erected 1892 to the memory of New Hartford soldiers and sailors who served in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 1865.”
The south face also displays a medallion representing the Grand Army of the Republic, the post-Civil War veterans’ organization.
The east face bears a bronze plaque listing about 60 New Hartford residents or natives who served in the conflict. Veterans are listed according to their regimental affiliation, with officers listed first.
The north and west faces also have plaques honoring the service of New Hartford’s Civil War veterans.
The figure atop the monument stands, facing south, with a rifle supported by his hands. The extension of the rifle’s butt beyond the monument’s base is an uncommon artistic touch.
The monument was supplied by the Temple Brothers of Rutland, Vermont. The New Hartford monument is the only Civil War memorial in Connecticut supplied by the firm.
A number of veterans of the Civil War and later conflicts are buried in the section to the immediate north of the monument.
Tags: New Hartford