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The Private Soldier Monument, a 21½-foot granite Union infantryman weighing about 30 tons, tops a 44-foot-7-inch granite monument at the centre of Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland. It was dedicated on September 17, 1880.
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Site-level location · 39.4594° N, 77.7414° W
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The story
Locally nicknamed 'Old Simon', a 21½-foot granite soldier looks out over Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
The National Park Service describes the Private Soldier Monument as a colossal granite structure that reaches 44 feet 7 inches, weighs 250 tons and is made of 27 pieces. The soldier, carved in two pieces joined at the waist, depicts a Union infantryman standing 'in place rest' and facing homeward to the north. He weighs about 30 tons. The NPS credits the design to James G. Batterson of Hartford, Connecticut, and the sculpting to James Pollette of Westerly, Rhode Island, at a cost of over $32,000.
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Centre of Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, Maryland, part of Antietam National Battlefield (National Park Service). The monument stands in a national cemetery.
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