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Central Business District in Sacramento in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Civil War Symbol Yields To Time

 
 
Civil War Symbol Yields To Time Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, December 31, 2008
1. Civil War Symbol Yields To Time Marker
Inscription.
A STUMP IS ALL THAT REMAINS of a Silver Maple transplanted from the Battlefield of Chattanooga. In 1897 the sapling was planted here as part of a Memorial Grove dedicated to Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The first war memorial to grace Capital Park, the Grove was conceived by Mrs. Eliza Holloway Waggoner of Sacramento, who led her sisters from the local chapter of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic in bringing more than forty trees from battlefields of the Civil War.

Having survived beyond its years, the noble tree finally succumbed to rot and weakened branches. After serving for 101 years as a living reminder of the debt we owe to the brave veterans of that terrible and costly war, the Silver Maple was removed.

[Inscription below photo of Silver Maple]
The Silver Maple (Acer Saccharinum), native to the eastern United States, takes its name from the silvery gray color of the underside of its leaves. Each leaf is five lobed and three to six inches wide. Leaves turn yellow or a combination of yellow and orange in autumn. The limbs of the Silver Maple ascend sharply upward with side branches dropping gracefully, ultimately reaching a height of up to one hundred feet with a spread up to seventy-five feet.

[Inscription below photos of Civil War Soldiers]
The
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memorial grove was planted to honor such men as these four members of the California Battalion of Calvary, who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the Union in the Civil War.
Led by Major D.W.C. Thompson of Sonoma County, the California Battalion was raised and recruited to represent California on the distant battlefields of the East.

[Inscription next to photo of Eliza Holloway Waggoner]
"Accept this gift of trees, guard them well; ...and as the years shall come and go, and as your children's children shall walk amidst the shadows of this Memorial Grove, ...may they become better citizens, more zealous patriots and may they know war nor more."
Eliza Holloway Waggoner
Memorial Grove Dedication
-May 1, 1897

 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & ForestryWar, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
 
Location. 38° 34.582′ N, 121° 29.514′ W. Marker is in Sacramento, California, in Sacramento County. It is in the Central Business District. Marker can be reached from the intersection of 10th Street and L Street. Marker is located at the Memorial Grove on the grounds of the State Capital Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sacramento CA 95814, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. USS California Bell Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Thomas Starr King
Civil War Symbol Yields To Time Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, December 28, 2008
2. Civil War Symbol Yields To Time Marker
(within shouting distance of this marker); California State Capitol Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Kenneth L. Maddy (within shouting distance of this marker); Liberty Bell Replica (within shouting distance of this marker); The Civil War Memorial Grove (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Pioneer Camellia Grove (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sacramento.
 
Regarding Civil War Symbol Yields To Time. Also see the Nearby Marker "The Civil War Memorial Grove" for Additional Information.
 
Also see . . .
1. The Memorial Grove. California Capitol Museum website entry:
The Grove has trees from the Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Savannah, Five Forks, Yellow Tavern, and Vicksburg battlefields. Some trees come from other Civil War-related sites including the tombs of Presidents McKinley and Lincoln. (Submitted on January 2, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.) 

2. The Second Mass and its Fighting Californians. Website homepage:
Company A of the 2nd Massachusetts
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
3. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
"...a tree whose roots first fastened in the soil where the armies struggled..."
was recruited in California from men who had ties to New England in 1862. These men wanted to serve, but preferred to serve in the Eastern theater. A special arrangement was made to allow them to serve in a Massachusetts regiment. (Submitted on January 2, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.) 

3. The California Battalion of the Calvary. The California Military Museum website entry:
A further battalion of four companies were recruited in California to follow the first. These were formed as Companies E, F, L and M of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment. The Californians served in many notable battles in Virginia and Maryland. (Submitted on January 2, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.) 

4. More Information about the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry. California and the Civil War website entry:
For the first half of their service, the regiment was primarily posted to the Washington, D.C. defenses. Later the regiment served in the Shenandoah Valley and the final Appomattox Campaign. (Submitted on January 3, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Only Three of the Original Trees Remain
As of this date there are only three of the original trees remaining at the Grove. The Turkey Oak, which came
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, December 31, 2008
4. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
Silver Maple
Acer Saccharinum
from Savannah, The Tulip Poplar from Five Forks, and the Elm from President McKinley's Tomb in Ohio.
The Park Service has acquired seedlings from several battlefields and planted these "descendants" to replace the originals.
    — Submitted January 6, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.
 
Close-up of Artwork on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, December 31, 2008
5. Close-up of Artwork on Marker
Depicting a Civil War Battle
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
6. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
Lt. Nellington
California Battalion of Calvary
Died in hospital, Boston
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
7. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
Capt. Charles S. Eigenbrodt
California Battalion of Cavalry
Killed at Halltown, VA - 1864
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
8. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
1st Lt. Rufus W. Smith
California Battalion of Calvary
Killed at Cedar Creek, VA - 1864
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
9. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
1st Lt. Lewis Munger
California Battalion of Calvary
Killed at Five Forks, VA - 1865
Close-Up of Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Images Courtesy of Sutters Fort SHP and Calif. State Library
10. Close-Up of Photo on Marker
Eliza H. Waggoner
founder
Civil War Memorial Grove
North Side of the Memorial Grove image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, December 31, 2008
11. North Side of the Memorial Grove
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 3,731 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on January 2, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 18, 2024