Military

Military. . Randolph County's long and distinguished contributions to military action date back to the time of the nation's founding. Several Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the county as well as soldiers who fought in the Battle of 18 12. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), 2,373 soldiers, including 52 black soldiers, fought for the Union cause and 266 died in conflict or due to illness. Leading military officers from the county included Silas Colgrove (1816-1907), who commanded the 27th Indiana Regiment at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and who presided as president of one of the most important military tribunals of the Civil War, Isaac P. Gray (1828-1895), who entered the Union Army as a colonel and was given command of the 4th Regiment Indiana Calvary in 1862; Asahel Stone (1817-1891) became Indiana State Quartermaster General, founder of the Randolph County Bank, and donated land to establish the Fountain Park Cemetery in Winchester. Thomas M. Browne, who assisted in organizing the Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Calvary of the Union Army, was commissioned a lieutenant and was later promoted to brigadier general. Men from Randolph County also fought in the 1898 Spanish American War, and 1,345 men and women served during World War I (1914-1918). During World War II (1941-1945) more than 2,500 men and women from the county served in the military both overseas and on the "home front" likewise, hundreds of men and women from Randolph County served with bravery and honor during the Korean Conflict (1951-53), the Vietnam Era Conflict (1964-73), and the Gulf War (1990-91), with the tradition of patriotism continuing to this day by men and women who are now enlisted in the armed forces. Recognition of such service is readily seen around the Randolph County Courthouse Square. In 1892, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the oldest major Civil War Monument in Indiana, was dedicated, having been designed by the world famous sculptor Lorado Taft and partially funded by James Moorman (1795-1888), a prominent local Quaker, who also established the James Moorman Orphans Home. The Doughboy Statue, located on the northwest corner of the Courthouse Square, was dedicated November 11, 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the ending of World War I. On the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square is a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Randolph County, containing the original bell from the courthouse tower. An army tank that operated during World War II is also located on the square's southeast corner recognizing veterans of that war. The Indiana National Guard in Winchester continues to this day the proud tradition of preparing soldiers for possible military conflict and service to the state and nation during natural disasters.