A border State, Missouri was divided in sympathy during the Civil War.
Her soldiers enlisted in the armies of both the North and the South. By
the fortunes of war, in this sector of the siege line, Missouri soldiers
of the Union and Confederate armies faced and fought each other. The
monument honors both. The plaque on the left depicts Missouri Federals
attacking this position; on the right, Missouri Confederates defending
it. Between the panels, the prow of the Ship of State symbolizes the
divided Union; the figure above is the Republic, emerging from the war
with renewed strength.