After the Civil War a number of New England historical societies commissioned commemorative statues of Civil War soldiers. This particular Union soldier was probably cut from a block of Connecticut brownstone, quarried in Portland, by the Batterson Company of Hartford, Connecticut.
The Union Soldier was rejected because of the faulty positioning of his right foot. In 1895 the Kelly family acquired the statue and placed it at the corner of Charter Oak Avenue and Union Street. Through the years the statue was badly damaged, losing its musket to vandals and suffering severe deterioration from exposure and erosion.
In 1968, J. Michael Kelly moved the Union Soldier to its present site and restored the statue as much as possible. The Kelly family is awaiting discovery of technique for restoring brownstone in hopes that that statue can be consolidated and refurbished.
Capitol, State of Connecticut, inside main lobby
This Artwork
Nearby Work
Capitol Dome: Genius of Connecticut0MI / NW
Capitol Dome: Allegories of Humanity: Agriculture, Commerce, Law, War, Science and Music0MI / N
Nathan Hale, Capitol Lobby0MI / W
Capitol of the State of Connecticut0MI / W
Capitol Sculpture, South Wing: Connecticut Heroes of the Civil War Era0MI / SW
Capitol Sculpture, North Facade: Portrait Roundel of Orville Hitchcock Platt0MI / N
