FROM THE BRYANT ROOM ARCHIVES
By Myrna Sloam, Archivist ©Nov/Dec 2005
Gone But Not Forgotten: Replacing Roslyn’s Stolen Civil War Soldier
After the conclusion of the Civil War, Union veterans formed a national organization called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The first post was formed in 1866 in Illinois. In 1891 GAR Post # 643 was established in Roslyn by about 30 veterans living in the area. Some of the veterans had been members of Company H of the 119th New York Volunteers, a company raised by Roslyn native Benjamin H. Willis.
The Roslyn Post was named for Elijah Ward (1816-1882) a former Judge Advocate of the State of New York and a Congressman who had lived in Roslyn Harbor. Prior to that, a memorial horse trough (still standing on the east side of Roslyn Village) had been donated in his memory by his wife, Ellen E. Ward, who was prominent in local affairs. Shortly after her death in 1893, the Clocktower was erected by her children and given to the Town as a memorial.
Though growing older by the time of the Roslyn Post’s establishment, the men of the Ward Post remained active and were particularly remembered for their yearly Decoration/Memorial Day parades through Roslyn Village. Well into the early 1900s the Civil War veterans would organize the parade, marching through the Village and then on to the Civil War plot in Roslyn Cemetery, where a ceremony was held. The last member of the post died in 1934, but the tradition was carried on in following years by veterans of WWI and WWII.
In 1902 a life-size bronze statue of a Civil War soldier was erected in the GAR memorial plot in Roslyn Cemetery, where it stood until 1992. Sometime in May of that year, it was stolen. For the past 13 years we have felt this loss and have been awaiting its return. Though this did not happen, I am pleased to report that on Saturday, September 10, 2005, a replacement statue was put into place atop the original 14 foot high granite pedestal. Although the original mold was destroyed, this replacement was made from a similar mold of an 1866 statue in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The casting of the new statue was financed by donations from individuals and organizations and produced in cooperation with Greenwood Cemetery.
Spearheaded by Robert Hansen, former Roslyn resident and historian of the Company H 119th N.Y Volunteers Historical Association, the rededication ceremony was attended by descendants of the original veterans, local and county historians, numerous residents, as well as a group of Civil War re-enactors (including those of Company H) who marched from Northern Boulevard up to the draped monument, and accompanied the unveiling and rededication with a rifle salute.
Perhaps in this complicated world the missing statue seemed a small loss, but its significance has meaning for us all. As the Archivist of the Bryant Library and the administrator of the library’s Local History Collection, it is good to know that the people of Roslyn still remember those local men who fought and died so long ago. It is proof that their sacrifice and service and their connection to the Roslyn community, has not, and will not, be forgotten.
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Email: localhistory@bryantlibrary.org