Top 9 Civil War Monuments In Indiana

The American Civil War deeply impacted every state, especially Indiana. It would contribute almost 210,000 men to the cause, about 15% of its male population, who would fight in 308 battles. More than 25,000 of them would die in the war. However, Indiana did have an anti-war contingent called The Copperheads, who were also opposed to abolishing slavery.

Despite popular misconceptions, the American Civil War began due to the institution of slavery. The Southern states had grown to rely on slavery for their plantation-based economy. Residents of Indiana were usually not abolitionists, but they had banned slavery within their borders.

With the election of the anti-slavery candidate Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Southern states began to secede, even though Lincoln was not an abolitionist at the time. Most states specifically mentioned slavery as the reason for secession, with the first state to secede, South Carolina, stating it did so due to "increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the Institution of Slavery."

After the war, Indiana established various monuments honoring the Union troops and their sacrifice. Despite the influence of the Lost Cause Myth in later years, which argued that the conflict began over states' rights instead of slavery, Indiana raised no Confederate monuments, save one honoring Confederate prisoners of War in Indianapolis, which was later removed in 2020.

Read on to learn more about these Top 9 Civil War Monuments in Indiana, their history, and how Indiana remembers the Civil War.

Rose Hill Cemetery Monument to the Grand Army of the Republic

Rose Hill Cemetery is a historic burial ground located in Bloomington, Indiana. The cemetery was first established in 1819, when Monroe County was founded. In the late 1800s, the Women's Relief Corps set out to put up a monument to the Grand Army of the Republic. This organization was noteworthy for providing relief to Civil War veterans and honoring the contributions of Union veterans. Intriguingly enough, the organization also allowed African American members to join, with some African American women serving in leadership roles, such as R. Adelaide Washington, president of the St. John Chambre Corps in Massachusetts. The monument in Rose Hill Cemetery was officially completed in 1900. It was designed by John Nichols and built with limestone and bronze. It features a Union soldier standing at the parade rest, and the following words are inscribed: "In Memory of the Silent Victors who defended the Union."

Blackford County Civil War Honor Roll - no photos

This monument in Hartford City, Indiana, is the newest structure on this list. It was dedicated in 2004 and sits on the lawn of the Blackford County Courthouse. The Blackford County Civil War Reenactment Club raised money for this monument. This club regularly hosts the largest Civil War reenactment in Indiana as part of the Hartford City Civil War Days, which have been held since 1993.

The structure features a Union soldier in full uniform with a backpack and a gun held between his two hands. It is dedicated in honor of all Civil War veterans of Blackford County and has the names of all known veterans from the Civil War on all four sides of the monument. At the base of the memorial, there are brick inscriptions that mention all donors as well as a dedication from the reenactment club founder, Orville Uggen, which states:

"This monument will stand in the history of Blackford County as a tribute, closure, and thanks to the men who served in the U. S. Military during the Civil War, where living descendants can view the names of the men from Blackford County who served in the Great Rebellion. A legacy for future generations and a source of pride for the citizens of Blackford County."

Civil War Memorial(Kosciusko County)

Unlike many other monuments on this list, this one features no soldier statue but a replica of an artillery piece. The Grand Army of the Republic Post 114 and 442 erected this monument in Warsaw, Indiana, right by the courthouse in 1897. Initially, the memorial contained real guns used during the Battle of Port Royal, when Union troops captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, on November 7, 1861. However, during World War 2, the guns were removed to be melted down for munitions metal, so a stone replica was left in their place. The Kosciusko County War Memorial is within walking distance of the Civil War Memorial. This monument lists the names of men and women who served in the American Civil War, the Iraq War, Vietnam, Korea, World War I, and World War II.

Steuben County Soldiers' Monument

Angola, Indiana, is well known for its downtown area and charming town square. The crown jewel of that square is the Steuben County Soldiers' Monument, raised in 1917. In 1916, the Angola post of the Civil War veterans organization, the Grand Army of the Republic, asked the Steuben County Commissioners to build a monument here. The council raised $15,000 to pay architect J.M. Ayres to construct it. It is made of granite with bronze plaques and features the 1,278 men of Steuben County who served in the war and the 280 who died during it. There are also four inscriptions on the monument featuring a quote from the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, a line honoring women during the Civil War, the date of the monument's dedication, and a memorial to the dead.

Also of note are five bronze statues surrounding and on top of the monument. A 10-foot-tall female figure stands atop the 60-foot-tall column, holding a wreath in one hand and a flag in the other. At each of the four corners of the monument, there is a statue from each of the four branches of service during the Civil War: an infantryman, artilleryman, sailor, and cavalryman.

Alexander Memorial

Also located in Bloomington, the limestone obelisk, called the GAR Monument, stands at the Monroe County Courthouse site and honors veterans of the American Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War 1, and Mexican-American War. It was dedicated on June 9, 1928.

A local veterans group first raised funds to build the monument, especially Captain Williamson M. Alexander, a Civil War veteran who lived from 1836 to 1921. He died before the memorial was completed, hence its name. At the very top of the monument is a Civil War Union soldier holding a rifle. The memorial has multiple reliefs, such as a father leaving behind his wife and three children to go to war, while another shows nine men, including a soldier, a sailor, and a drummer. On the east side, a panel honoring a cavalry charge during the Spanish-American War. In contrast, the northwest side showcases an infantry charge, along with a dead soldier and a wounded soldier.

The monument was restored in 2022 due to local civilian efforts, although it did see some vandalism during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Interestingly enough, some of the inscriptions on the monument are no longer legible, such as one honoring Mexican War veterans.

Randolph County Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Located in Randolph, Indiana, this monument was dedicated in 1892, making it older than the other two mentioned above. It cost $25,000 to craft, with $2,000 provided by James Moorman in his will and the rest through donations. It stands beside the Winchester Courthouse.

A soldier is standing atop the monument holding an American flag. He stands atop an elaborate column featuring engravings of Corinthian columns and a bronze relief of the Battle of the Wilderness fought in 1864 between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in Virginia. At the bottom of the column, four bronze statues of soldiers stand, including an infantryman, sailor, artilleryman, and cavalryman.

Soldiers & Sailors Monument

This is the largest and most famous Civil War monument in Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, it honors soldiers who served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the wars against Native Americans, and the Spanish-American War.

This 284-foot monument was dedicated in 1902 and constructed by German architect Bruno Schmitz, who worked on it from 1888 to 1901. He made it from oolitic limestone and bronze. It is noteworthy for its size, standing only 15 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty. On the four corners of the monument are four statues, each depicting figures representing the various wars, such as George Rogers Clark for the American Revolution, Governor Oliver Morton for the American Civil War, Governor James Whitcomb for the Mexican-American War, and William Henry Harrison for the War of 1812.

Multiple engravings also represent the goddess Victory holding a sword, an Army astragal with fallen soldiers, horses, and flags, the goddess Columbia alongside a cavalry scout and a cannon, and soldiers returning home after winning a war. This sculpture also includes a freed slave lifting his broken chains as he sits next to a representation of Liberty holding the American flag.

Mishawaka Civil War Soldiers Monument

This monument sits within the oldest park in Mishawaka, Indiana: Battell Park, which was established in the 1860s by the Battell family. The family transferred ownership to the city in 1881. Not long afterward, the citizens of larger St. Joseph County raised funds to honor the Union soldiers who served from the area. The monument was raised in September 1884, 19 years after the Civil War ended.

The monument features a Union soldier on top holding his rifle muzzle up while staring off into the distance. On the northern and southern sides of the memorial, there are lists of the many battles soldiers from St. Joseph County participated in, from Manassas to Seven Pines.

On the eastern side is a dedication to the dead that states, "Sleep on ye noble patriot braves, Wherever lie your honored graves, A nation free and proud and great, Your memories perpetuate."

On the western side, a statement of the Union cause says, "The war for the Union was right, everlastingly right; and the war against the Union was wrong, forever wrong. The Union must and shall be preserved." Although this monument doesn't mention slavery, it speaks to the strong conviction of the Union men who served in the war that the Union cause was correct.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

There's more than one monument called Soldiers and Sailors in Indiana, and this one in Delphi, Indiana, is also worth visiting. The wider Carroll County raised funds in the 1880s to construct the monument and held an international competition to find the right architect. The honor fell to German architect Bruno Schmitz, who brought on Rudolf Schwarz as a sculptor. Schwarz also worked as a sculptor for the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Although the exact dedication dates are unclear, the monument was raised sometime between 1882 and 1888 by the Carroll County Courthouse. The memorial is a bronze obelisk with Latin-style throughout. On top of the monument stands a statue of a flag bearer. The obelisk rests on a battlement base decorated with bronze muskets on the sides. At the base, there are four reliefs which show infantrymen battling at the Battle of Shiloh and Stones River, soldiers bidding farewell to their families, soldiers returning from the Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Champion Hill, and cavalrymen clashing with Confederate infantry at the famous Battle of Antietam and Battle of Gettysburg.

The Civil War left deep scars in the United States, which can be felt in all states, including Indiana. Monuments such as the Mishawaka Civil War Soldiers Monument, which honors soldiers wherever their graves may lie, or the Steuben County Soldiers' Monument, which celebrates the dead 50 years after the end of the Civil War, show the dedication veterans and citizens felt toward fallen friends and comrades.

Unlike many other places, Indiana's monuments remain dedicated to the memory of the Union dead, rather than the Confederacy. This shows that Indiana was not eager to honor the Confederates, even if some may have been sympathetic to their cause.

For anyone with an interest in the American Civil War, these monuments and parks are worth visiting. Visitors can see beautiful architecture and learn how the Civil War is remembered in big and small ways.