Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in Morgantown
Encyclopedia
The Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in front of the Butler County Courthouse in Morgantown, Kentucky
, was built in the aftermath the Spanish-American War
, which helped alleviate the bitterness both sides felt toward the other when it was dedicated to the sacrifice of veterans of both sides of the Civil War
. It is one of only two monuments in Kentucky that reveres both sides, instead of only one, and funds to build it came from both sides. Butler County, Kentucky
had mixed loyalties in the War, with both sides well supported by the county.
The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1907. It has a life-sized zinc
statue of a Union soldier with kepi
hat, winter great coat, and rifle. It stands atop a twelve-foot pedestal, making the entire monument eighteen feet in height. Depictions of Ulysses S. Grant
, Abraham Lincoln
, and Joseph Wheeler
are placed on three sides of the pedestal. On the various sides of the pedestal are the names of several citizens of Butler County who fought on both sides, some of which died during the War and some that were still living when the monument was built in 1907. As a reflection of the joint effort made to build the statue, the monument refers to the conflict as the "War of 1861-5".
Outside of two skirmishes outside of town, Morgantown/Butler County saw very little action during the War.
On July 17, 1997, the Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument was one of sixty different monuments related to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places
, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. It is one of ten soldier monuments in the MPS that was placed on a courthouse lawn, out of 23 soldier monuments in total.
Morgantown, Kentucky
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,544 at the 2000 census. The city had a sister city in Tatsuruhama, Ishikawa, Japan, which city is now part of Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan.-History:...
, was built in the aftermath the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, which helped alleviate the bitterness both sides felt toward the other when it was dedicated to the sacrifice of veterans of both sides of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It is one of only two monuments in Kentucky that reveres both sides, instead of only one, and funds to build it came from both sides. Butler County, Kentucky
Butler County, Kentucky
Butler County is a county located in the US state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county. As of 2000, the population was 13,010. Its county seat is Morgantown, Kentucky. Butler is a prohibition or dry county.- History :...
had mixed loyalties in the War, with both sides well supported by the county.
The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1907. It has a life-sized zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
statue of a Union soldier with kepi
Kepi
The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor or peak . Etymologically, the word is a borrowing of the French képi, itself a respelling of the Alemannic Käppi: a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning "cap"....
hat, winter great coat, and rifle. It stands atop a twelve-foot pedestal, making the entire monument eighteen feet in height. Depictions of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, and Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...
are placed on three sides of the pedestal. On the various sides of the pedestal are the names of several citizens of Butler County who fought on both sides, some of which died during the War and some that were still living when the monument was built in 1907. As a reflection of the joint effort made to build the statue, the monument refers to the conflict as the "War of 1861-5".
Outside of two skirmishes outside of town, Morgantown/Butler County saw very little action during the War.
On July 17, 1997, the Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument was one of sixty different monuments related to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. It is one of ten soldier monuments in the MPS that was placed on a courthouse lawn, out of 23 soldier monuments in total.