Since ancient times, men have erected obelisks and arches to commemorate their achievements and sacrifices in battle. In the United States, that impulse may have reached its zenith after the Civil War, when monuments and statues to veterans and dead heroes bloomed like dandelions across North and South. In Central New York, you can scarcely pass a graveyard that lacks a statue or a marker.
Susanne Greenhagen, a retired librarian at Morrisville State College, is compiling photos and information on every Civil War memorial in New York state and posting them on a website. She could use your help.
If you know of a Civil War monument — cannons and cannonballs also count — email information and photos to
greenhSH@morrisville.edu. Or you can upload the information to state Sen. Patty Ritchie’s website.
New York played pivotal roles in the Civil War and in commemorations of it. Our state sent more soldiers to fight in the Union Army than any other state. The origins of Memorial Day are traced to Waterloo, where Decoration Day was first celebrated in 1866 to honor New Yorkers who died in the war.