The Boy in Blue : Blue Earth County Minnesota's Civil War Memorial
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (164), glossary (162), and index (166).

Twenty years after the guns of the American Civil War fell silent at Appomattox in 1865, Women's Relief Corps members of Mankato's Alexander Wilkin Post, Grand Army of the Republic, persuaded the City of Mankato to purchase the triangular blood of land, owned by W.H. Shepard, at the intersection of Broad, Grove, and Lincoln Streets in Mankato, for the express purpose of erecting a Civil War veteran's memorial on that site. The monument, known as The Boy in Blue, was built in 1892, and dedicated on May 30, 1893. Although it seems obvious that a memorial of this historical significance should long endure -- that was not the case. The Boy in Blue only lasted for thirty-five years, becoming the victim of neglect, senseless vandalism and the ravages of extreme weather conditions. It would have remained this way, had it not been for renewed interest in the Civil War era, on the occasion of the conflict's sesquicentennial commemoration; coupled with the efforts of a small, but determined group of local citizens, whose goal it was to restore the Boy in Blue to its former glory by reconstructing not only the statue, but the pedestal and fountain pool as well. This book serves as a chronicle of their dedicated efforts, as well as a tribute to all of those who contributed their time, talents and financial resources to make the dream of re-creating Mankato's oldest war memorial a reality.