The American Civil War Memorial, Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh
by Yvonne Johnstone
Title
The American Civil War Memorial, Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh
Artist
Yvonne Johnstone
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Old Calton Burial Ground is a graveyard at Calton Hill, in Edinburgh, Scotland, to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718.
The American Civil War Memorial, also known as the Scottish-American Soldiers Monument, was dedicated on 21 August 1893 to Scots who fought and died in the American Civil War. Depicting a standing figure of Abraham Lincoln, with a freed slave giving thanks at his feet, it is a focal point of the burial ground. It is the only monument to the American Civil War outside the United States and was the first statue to a US President outside her own borders. It is the only statue of Lincoln in Scotland.
A bronze shield bears the old US flag, and is wreathed in thistles to the left, and cotton to the right. Two regimental flags lie furled, the battle being over. The black man holds a book, indicating that he is not only free, he is also now educated. The monument was erected at American expense to a small group of Scots (only one of whom, William Duff, is buried under the monument, the rest being nearby) to whom it felt indebted, and wished their graves to be marked, despite their later poverty. They had all fought for the Union (the North) in the American Civil War. The inscription, "To preserve the jewel of liberty in the framework of Freedom" is a quotation from the writings of Abraham Lincoln.
Uploaded
April 3rd, 2019
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