1890 Civil War monument in front of City Hall Kingston, NY

Daily Freeman >> article by Paul KirBy Dec 20, 2002 

Kingston council approves Civil War monument 

KINGSTON - The Common Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to let a historian establish a monument to local soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

The historian, Olive resident Seward Osborne, has said he will cover the cost of the monument, expected to be in T.R. Gallo Park (formerly West Strand Park) to honor the 20th New York State Militia, a Union regiment whose members hailed from Ulster and Greene counties.

Osborne, who attended Wednesday's council meeting, said the vote by city lawmakers signaled appreciation for the sacrifice the regiment made during the Civil War.

"It says to them that their forebearers care, that there is some real meaning and substance behind their sacrifices and what they gave for these people who voted on this issue," Osborne said.

Alderman Scott DiMicco, R-Ward 1, said the city has taken its history seriously over the years and this is another indication of that commitment.

"We have always been a city that has promoted its past," DiMicco said.

Council Majority Leader Bill Reynolds, D-Ward 7, said it's important for the city to honor the soldiers who "fought in the bloodiest battle in American history."

Minority Leader Robert Senor, R-Ward 8, said the Civil War monument will bring more notice of history to an already-historic part of the city. Senor represents the area where the monument is to be placed.

"I think that it is a blessing to have history out there for the public," Senor said.

Osborne has pushed for the Kingston monument for years but says it was Kingston Civil War historian Walter Witkowski who first suggested the idea to Mayor James Sottile.

Osborne said he need approval by early January in order to get the monument made by the planned dedication date of April 28. It was on that date in 1861 that a throng of well-wishers saw the regiment, known as the Ulster Guard, off from the banks of the Rondout Creek and into war.

About 950 of the soldiers returned from the war 90 days after they left Kingston. They then reorganized in October 1861 and fought in the war until Jan. 29, 1866.

The monument, made of granite, is to be about 5 feet tall, 30 inches wide and 10 inches thick. Osborne is planning an inscription that will read, in part: "The Ulster Guard was one of the top 300 fighting regiments of the Union Army."