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This New York City borough reminds us that the war's fury reached far beyond the front BY PATRICIA CURTIS
During the Civil War, Brooklyn was a city unto itself, one of the largest in the United States. Figures for the number of Brooklyn men who served in the war vary wildly - one source will tell you 32,000, another states as many as 150,000. Most historians throw up their hands and say merely "thousands."
Leading the way were the Brooklyn soldiers who comprised "the fighting 14th" regiment of the New York State Militia. Outfitted by the city, these men went off to war in colorful uniforms - bright red pants, dark blue coats and caps, and white leggings. They became known as the "Red-legged Devils" because of their red pants and stubborn bravery.
And when it comes to monuments commemorating the Civil War, few cities can outdo Brooklyn.
Among them is an arch, a splendid colossus that is arguably the finest example of triumphal architecture in the country, and perhaps second only to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, dedicated to "the defenders of the Union, 1861-65," stands in Grand Army Plaza, a landmark named for the Grand Army of the Republic. Designed by John H. Duncan and completed in 1892, it is Brooklyn's best-known icon of the Civil War.
On the inner sides of the arch, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant in bas relief, by Thomas Eakins and William O'Donovan, respectively, gaze down at us. They are quiet, meditative figures. In contrast, on each huge south pedestal, a tight group of swashbuckling men representing the Army and the Navy is caught in combat by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies. Common soldiers are revered here, as opposed to the wealth of Civil War monuments that honor generals and other officers. Even more unusual for the time, the Navy group includes a black sailor, kneeling and holding a gun.
And atop this 80-foot behemoth is a spectacular MacMonnies work: A victorious Columbia, banner flying aloft, stands in a chariot, with two exuberant winged iemale figures beside the four prancing horses.
As the city enlarged around the plaza, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch became stranded on a little apron of grass...