Springfield was not just a place where the Civil War was commemorated, it was also a place where vital contributions were made.
In the 1860 Census, Springfield, Massachusetts had a population of 15,199 people. Ten years later, the city had a population of 26,703, a 75% increase. This is almost natural. Springfield had the United States government’s main arsenal. Before the Civil War, the arsenal produced 9,000 muskets per year, By 1864, it was turning out more than a quarter million that year. In addition to manufacturing firearms, the armory was also a place where weapons could be repaired.
There are three monuments in Springfield to the Civil War soldiers who went off to war. The oldest, erected in 1877, is in Springfield Cemetery. One other is erected in downtown, but is currently surrounded by construction. A third is in another cemetery.
The monument is called “The Soldier’s Rest Monument” because the local community took over a house near the railroad station during the war where soldiers coming through could get a meal to see them on their way. This house was known as the “Soldier’s Rest.” In 1864, a fair was held to raise money for the Soldier’s Rest and $18,000 was raised for the Soldier’s Rest. After the war, unspent funds, about $4,000, were used to purchase the statue. It was placed in the local cemetery where Civil War soldiers were buried. The “soldiers’ plot” in the cemetery has more than 200 graves of Union soldiers.
The sculptor of the statue is Henry J. Ellicott. He was responsible for the four figures on Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn’s Civil War statue erected in 1876. The infantryman on the Green-Wood monument appears to match the Springfield statue. Ellicott’s infantryman was mass produced and appears in several sites in the North.
During the Civil War, Springfield sent 2,625 of its men to fight in the war. Because of its position on railway lines, many soldiers from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont passed through head to the war, or coming home from it.
At the start of the war, 276 Black people were among Springfield’s residents. Several Springfield men, including Peter Johnson, Eli Wilson, and William Oliver, enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the state’s first Black regiment.
While the statue is a fine example of 19th Century monumental statuary, it’s face is turned away from the cemetery’s chapel and it is just a few yards from large bushes, making it hard to see and even harder to photograph. This is also one of the few Civil War monuments that I have seen without any writing on it at all. Local historical societies might want to put up an explanatory marker explaining the monument.
As you can see in this black and white photo, there were no bushes and trees right in front of the statue in 1892. In fact, the area was so clear that three cannon were deployed in front! Those cannons are long gone, but the bushes have replaced them.
While most of the graves nearby are of local men from Massachusetts regiments, there are a number from nearby states.
The plot itself is well preserved and cared for, but some headstones should be replaced,as this one has been.
Some men from out of state died in the hospital at Springfield, while other moved to Springfield after the war and died many years later.
All color photos were taken by Pat Young. To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE for Google Earth view. The Springfield Cemetery is on Cemetery Avenue.
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