As a fitting memorial to the Union dead who fell at Gettysburg, the
Commissioners arranged for the erection of a monument in the center of
the semicircular plot of graves. A design submitted by J. G. Batterson
was accepted and the services of Randolph Rogers, a distinguished
American sculptor, were secured for the execution of the monument.
Projecting from the four angles of the gray granite shaft are
allegorical statues in white marble representing War, History, Peace,
and Plenty. Surmounting the shaft is a white marble statue representing
the Genius of Liberty. Known as the Soldiers’ National Monument, the
cornerstone was laid July 4, 1865, and the monument dedicated July 1,
1869.