Soldier's National Monument - Page 2 - Project Idea

Cheers

I like the strip of photos.

April 21, 2008

Soldier's National Monument - Page 2

This is the other page for the Soldier's National Monument. It was the first monument of any kind at Gettysburg.

This particular monument is full of symbolism. Beneath the figure at the top around the shaft are 18 stars that represent the 18 loyal states that fought at Gettysburg. Beneath that is a coat of arms that was the symbol of the Union the men preserved. Liberty at the top sits upon a three-quarter globe holding a sword in one hand and a victor's wreath in the other. At the bottom of the monument are four figures. These were actually carved in Italy. The first one is War represented by a soldier surrounded by the tools of war. He sits telling his story to History who writes it down along with the names of the dead in her book. She sits upon a pile of books of past achievements. A pyramid and palm tree next to her symbolize man's heritage whereas the columns that are crumbling on her other side represent man's vanity and ambitions. On the back side of the monument is Plenty which represents peace and abundance brought by the soldier's victory. The final statue is Peace which is represented by a man rather than the the classical interpretation. This information comes from a book I got while at Gettysburg called Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments as told by Battlefield Guides by Frederick W. Hawthorne.

This monument is truly stunning. It is a work of art and simply amazing. I used a portion of "Bivouac of the Dead" here as well.

Credits: Staples and anchor from Atomic Cupcake. Actions used: torn vellum, light crumple, and inked edges.