Union Soldiers Monument

Despite the secession of Virginia in 1861, Hancock County remained steadfastly loyal the United States during the Civil War. With an enslaved population of only 2 out of nearly 4,500 in 1860, Hancock County felt little connection to the eastern, slaveholding part of the state. The county voted 743-23 against secession and later overwhelmingly supported the establishment of the new state of West Virginia. Reflecting its patriotism, over 400 county residents enlisted in the United States army during the Civil War, many of whom belonging to the First West Virginia Infantry.

In 1883, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—the largest Union veterans organization—established the W.A. Atkinson Post in New Cumberland, the seat of Hancock County. Efforts to establish a monument to the county's U.S. veterans were quickly underway, and in 1886 the Union Soldiers Monument was dedicated.

The dedication on May 31, 1886 proved to be a spectacular civic affair and a memorable day in the New Cumberland's history. Approximately 5,000 people poured into the small town on ferries and trains for the ceremonies. In the morning a parade marched through town, featuring GAR veterans, multiple bands, girls dressed "in neat red, white and blue," Odd Fellows, and many more. Carried aloft throughout the procession was the old battle flag of the First West Virginia Infantry. A huge lunch was provided in the local rink, and temperance societies provided outdoor fare while circulating letters decrying the "tendency to pervert Memorial Day into a time of hilarity, recreation and profit."[4]

In the afternoon, the dedication ceremonies were carried out. On the corner of the Hancock County Courthouse, the monument stood draped in an American flag. Presiding was General Isaac Duval, a former brigadier general and Congressman from West Virginia. Under a hot sun, a prayer was offered and speeches by various prominent local citizens made. The monument was unveiled, and Professor Felix H. Crago, a well known educator and Union veteran himself, subsequently gave a "thoughtful, scholarly, and well delivered" Memorial Day address.[4]

The monument itself stands eighteen feet tall and features a Union soldier made of zinc standing guard atop a stone base. Several bronze plaques are affixed to the statue, noting the monument stands: "To The Perpetual Memory of the Defenders of the Union, 1861-1865. Erected by the Citizens of Hancock Co., May 30th 1886" and listing those who served.

Beginning in 1992, restoration efforts were carried out by local residents. Finished in 1994, the restoration cost $18,000 and uncovered that beneath several of the plaques were the names of those soldiers who died in battle. The monument still stands in its original location today, overlooking the town of New Cumberland.

1. Lizza, Richard P. "Hancock County." May 31, 2013. e-WV: Encyclopedia of West Virginia. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/213

2. "The Monument Dedication." May 27, 1886. Wheeling Register. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020 via Chronicling America. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86092518/1886-05-27/ed-1/seq-4/

3. "Memorial Day at New Cumberland." May 28, 1886. Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020 via Chronicling America. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026844/1886-05-28/ed-1/seq-4/

4. "In Enduring Bronze. Soldiers' Monument Unveiled." May 31, 1886. Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020 via Chronicling America. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026844/1886-05-31/ed-1/seq-2/

5. "West Virginia GAR Posts and History." West Virginia, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020. http://www.suvcw.org/garrecords/garposts/wv.htm

6. "First West Virginia Infantry." West Virginia History. Vol. 55. 1996. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020. http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh55-3.html

7. History of West Virginia, Old and New. Vol. 2. Chicago: American Historical Society, 1923.

8. "Rededication Ceremony--Restoration of Civil War Monument." WVGenWeb Project. 2011. Web. Accessed July 9, 2020. http://www.wvgenweb.org/hancock/civilwarmonument.html