My Photo Tour this week is of the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument in New Rochelle, New York in Westchester County along Long Island Sound. The monument is prominently located on land donated by the First Presbyterian Church on hilly ground at the busy corner of Huguenot and Main Streets. I visited after work late one afternoon on a rainy day with interesting clouds to frame the statue. The statue was dedicated on May 9, 1896. There were 370 men from New Rochelle who served in the United States Army and Navy during the war.
The statue itself is life-sized, depicting a flag bearer standing six feet tall. From base to top, the monument is 26 feet high. At the dedication ceremony in 1896, Civil War generals Daniel A. Butterfield and Dan Sickles spoke. Below is newspaper coverage of the unveiling of the statue.
New York Times headline on coverage of the dedication said “The Village in Holiday Dress Receives Her Many Visitors- Elaborate Parade Followed by Exercise at Which Gen. Butterfield and Gen. Sickles were Chief Speakers.”
The European settlement of New Rochelle began early in the English control of the colony of New York, but it was carried out by French families, not English. The city was named after Rochelle in France, the great fortress of the French Huguenots during the 17th Century wars of religion in that country. In 1688, French Huguenots fleeing persecution, settled there beside Long Island Sound. According to the first Federal Census of 1790, New Rochelle had a population of only 692 people. By the time of the Civil War, New Rochelle had grown to 3,519. Today, the City of New Rochelle has a population of 79,726. Modern office buildings make the city a center of economic life along Long Island Sound.
At the time of the Civil War, New Rochelle had seen an influx of immigrants during the previous dozen years. Nearly a third of the population was foreign-born, with Irish and Germans predominating.
When the Civil War broke out, a militia company formed that became part of the 17th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the “Westchester Chasseurs.” The regiment was mustered into service in May of 1861, a little over a month after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. It spent its first year in service in the defenses around Washington, D.C. In 1862, the regiment was active in the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, and served until its term of service expired right after the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863.
Those men who stayed in the army after the rest of the regiment returned to New York, were assigned to the 146th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
New Rochelle men also joined the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This was a Zouave regiment, modelled on the uniform and drill of French North African units. It was formed on April 12, 1861, right at the start of the war. While most of the men in it were from New York City, one company was recruited in New Rochelle. Soon after the regiment arrived in Virginia, Gouverneur Warren commanded it. After the war the regiment’s veterans raised funds for their old commander’s statue to be placed on Little Round Top.
While the residents of New Rochelle were connected to the war through their men serving in the 17th and 5th New York, they had another connection as well. David’s Island right offshore became a medical center for the treatment of the wounded. The island in Long Island Sound was used as a training camp for an Irish Brigade regiment and in 1862 it became the site of DeCamp General Hospital. Fifty buildings were constructed to care for 2,000 patients. After the Battle of Gettysburg, wounded Confederate Prisoners of War were also treated there.
The city has put significant effort to landscape the land where the statue is located. Nicely planted flowers and bushes show great care. However, this is an area with a lot of automobile traffic which can be distracting during a visit. Significant effort has been put into restoring the statue over the last twenty years.
The monument has four sides with bas relief, each side bordered by cannon. Here we see the front and left side of the monument. On the front is the seal of New Rochelle beneath which is engraved “TRIBUTE OF NEW ROCHELLE TO HER LOYAL SONS ERECTED 1895.” Beneath that are the dates of the Civil War, 1861-1865. To the left are ramrods, depicting the service of many men from New Rochelle in the 6th New York Heavy Artillery, nicknamed the Anthony Wayne Guard. Underneath is the battle cry “UNION FOREVER.”
On the front of the monument, immediately beneath the statue of the soldier is the emblem of the Grand Army of the Republic, the premier Union veterans organization.
The top of the monument shows an infantryman holding his regiment’s colors. He has a sword in his right hand. The pose is typical of that adopted during the war to signal victory.
On the right side of the statue are sabers and a cavalryman’s hat, depicting that branch of the service. Beneath those symbols is the phrase “ONE FLAG.”
On the back of the monument is an anchor, symbolizing the Navy, underneath which are the words “ONE COUNTRY.” The three sides say “ONE FLAG. ONE COUNTRY. UNION FOREVER.”
Below is the beginning of an article in the New York Times on May 10, 1896 about the unveiling ceremony.
Note: All color photos taken by Pat Young.
Wasn”t there a water trough at the base for horses?
I am not sure. I have seen them at other monuments where they are usually used for flowers, but I not sure if this one still has a trough.
THERE WAS A WATER TROUGH IN FRONT OF THE MONUMENT, DEDICATED TO DUMB ANIMALS. BY DR MOULTON. THE HORSES WOULD COME UP THE BOSTON POST ROAD TO GET THEIR WATER..AND STOP THERE, AND CONTINUE ON…
HISTORY LIVES HERE, HISTORY IS BEING MADE HERE
JIM KILLORAN
PS I GIVE WALKING TOURS, TEXT 914 406 3357…