The monuments were shipped by rail to the Tennessee River and transferred to the site by barges towed by steamboats. Derricks were used to lift the monuments from the barges up the 100-foot bluff at Pittsburg Landing. Each monument weighed from 14 to 16 tons.
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was the Civil War's first, great bloody battle. Beginning on the morning of April 6, 1862, and ending the following day, the battle claimed 24,000 casualties - more than all of America's previous wars combined. Of the 15,000 Ohio soldiers who fought at Shiloh, 2,000 were casualties. Hughes Granite employees claimed that creating the monuments for the Ohio soldiers who fought and died at Shiloh was a "labor of love."
72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Monument
The monument created for the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry perhaps held special significance for the company as the regiment was made up largely of men from Sandusky County, Ohio. This monument is located on the high ground overlooking Shiloh Branch and the Corinth Road west of the Shiloh Church. Soldiers of the 72nd killed during the battle are buried 18 feet south of the monument.
The inscription reads:
The inscription on the reverse of the monument reads:
Ohio Vicksburg Battlefield Commission
The dedication of the Ohio monuments was held on June 6, 1902. Among those attending the ceremonies were members of the Ohio Vicksburg Battlefield Commission. This commission was authorized by the state of Ohio to select and place monuments for Ohio's Civil War soldiers who fought in the campaign and siege of Vicksburg. Impressed with the design and quality of workmanship of the monuments at Shiloh, the Vicksburg commission voted to dispense with a competition and award the contract for Ohio monuments at Vicksburg to the Hughes Granite and Marble Company.
Hughes Granite and Marble Company created 39 monuments to commemorate the service of Ohio soldiers who fought in the state's 26 regiments of infantry, 12 batteries of artillery, and 1 battalion of cavalry during the campaign and siege of Vicksburg. Unlike the Shiloh monuments, the Vicksburg monuments feature the seal of the state of Ohio. The company also produced 20 markers to designate locations occupied by Ohio units.
Hughes Granite had completed the Ohio monuments and erected them on the designated locations at the Vicksburg National Military Park by December 23, 1904. Ohio officially dedicated the monuments during a ceremony at Vicksburg, Mississippi on May 22, 1905.
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