Marshfield Hills Civil War Memorial Lecture

135 Marshfield men signed up to fight in the Civil War. All of them were farmers or cobblers. In 1860, Marshfield's population was 1713.

27 names are on the monument. They are referred to as “fallen.” 21 deaths, 5 discharged. One, Lucius Carr, born in 1840 - ? We know the missing soldier’s name and birth date only.

It was 30 years before the memorial was dedicated. During the years after the war, there was a serious depression. And, as in any war, the combatants just wanted to forget the war and get on with their lives.

Eventually, granite from land in Quincy Massachusetts, owned by the famous John Adams family, was used for the memorial. The statue on top is that of a full-sized soldier at parade rest. He is carrying a Springfield musket. These were made 100 miles away in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the war. He wears a full mustache, which was common for the time. He is dressed in his Winter Blue uniform. This granite was the best money could buy. Marble would be less. Then limestone, followed by cast iron. The granite statue weighs 167 pounds per square foot.

The first STATE REGIMENTAL monument at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was from Massachusetts. Now there are over 300 memorials, showing exactly where the particular state regiments were during the battle.

There was eventually a draft of men between the ages of 20 thru 43. For $300 you could pay someone to take your place. Rich kids didn't need to go. Sound familiar? The North, eventually running out of men, paid many Germans and Irish to fill the ranks. The speaker at the lecture I attended said, “without the foreigners we would not have won.”

The small, older crowd many times broke the tempo of the speaker with questions. “Don't stand in the hallways, don't block up the halls.” Many times they presented their own little facts. Hey, maybe next week YOU could do a lecture. Would you interrupt Nathaniel Philbrick? “Hey Abe! What do you mean by four score?”

The memorial service in Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts, in1895 cost $432.
240 children of Marshfield were there, all dressed in white. The Plymouth band also was present. Half the cost of the service was for food. $22 went to a man with his buckboard who brought most of the children. Lastly there was a $5 charge for the use of someone's horse. According to the Boston Sunday Globe, “Rain came at one point but it laid the dust nicely.” A grand time was had by all.