Existing comment:
To Indiana's Silent Victors:
Set at the very center of Indianapolis, the Soldiers & Sailors Monument is an architectural and sculptural marvel. It is the central point of Indiana's capitol city, and the largest memorial anywhere in the country dedicated to the common soldiers and sailors of the Civil War. It is topped by a 38-foot statue of "Victory," the largest bronze statue in the US at the time of its installation. Around the base are flowing fountains and statue groups depicting "War," "Peace," "The Dying Soldier," "The Return Home," and individual heroic statues representing infantry, artillery, cavalry, and Navy. To the tip of the flame in Victory's torch, the monument reaches 284.5 feet, only fifteen feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty. From the observation deck, 230 feet above street level, visitors can see to an almost boundless horizon some fifteen miles away. City ordinance provides that no building may be constructed such that it will cast a shadow on this sacred memorial. |