History of Antietam National Cemetery (page 21)

space devoted to the erection of a monument commemorative of the great event of the battle, and the heroism of those who sleep at its foot and around it. The design of the monument, which was adopted at a meeting of the Board, held in the city of Baltimore, on the 16th day of September, 1867, seems to meet all requirements in a military, national and patriotic point of view. It is the Colossal Statue of an American Soldier standing guard over the remains of the loyal dead, and, when completed, will be the largest work of its kind in the country. The estimated cost is thirty thousand dollars. The Statue alone will weigh eighty-six tons.

The dedication of the grounds to the sacred purposes for which they were designed, occurred on the fifth anniversary of the battle — the 17th day of September, 1867 — at which time also was laid the corner stone of the Monument, with appropriate ceremonies.

Through the sacrifices and blood they shed, and the lives they rendered up, the Union has been preserved, our institutions are unimpaired, and our Government is strengthened; therefore should we honor and keep green the memory of the loyal volunteer whose work has been accomplished, and the benefit of whose deeds and prowess as a Nation we today enjoy.