Late 1800s, early 1900s
Ohio’s American Civil War soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials.
During the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments from other states, most notably from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Massachusetts, as well as in federal units. Almost 330,000 Ohio men, including 5,092 African Americans, served in the Union military during the conflict.
Ohio’s soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials. Ohioans completed the first of these commemorations during the Civil War, with hundreds more being built after the conflict. Ohioans have built at least 295 monuments to commemorate Civil War veterans, civilians, political leaders, and war-related events in the state. Eighty-six of the state’s eighty-eight counties contain Civil War monuments, with Hamilton County, Lucas County, Lorain County, Brown County, and Franklin County each boasting ten or more memorials each. Only Clinton County and Noble County do not contain Civil War monuments.
In the early 1880s, residents of Bellaire, Ohio formed the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Association. The principal goal of this organization was to create a monument to honor the community’s Civil War soldiers. The group raised $3400.00 to construct the memorial and hired J.M Eberle to design the monument. Made of granite, the memorial stands thirty-feet tall, including a six-foot tall soldier standing at parade rest on top of the monument. The memorial’s base has the emblem for the Grand Army of the Republic on a bronze plaque as well as multiple inscriptions on the monument’s four sides, including, “Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Gettysburg. Erected A. D. 1882. J. M. Eberle Builders. Our Fallen Heroes;” "Atlanta, Cedar Creek, Stone River;" "Shiloh, Richmond, Wilderness;” and "Pea Ridge, Antietam, Hampton Roads.” It is presumed that men from Bellaire fought at and presumably died in all of these battles. Surrounding the monument are four cannons, which the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Association received from the United States government. The cannons were “condemned,” meaning that they were no longer usable for military service, in 1882. The monument was constructed in 1882 in a city park at Bellaire.
Today, the monument is in good condition. The memorial is located at the city park located at the intersection of Belmont Street and 34th Street in Bellaire.
