Here is a VERY RARE, SUPER SCARCE Union Monument Dedication Card or Postcard with a blank back From the 1914 dedication of the New York State Monument at Andersonville, Georgia Union Prisoner of War Camp, which was a death camp for Federal prisoners of war during the American Civil War.
This is potentially one of only a very small number of these that were published either for the 222 New York Veterans (and possibly their relatives) either before they were paid to travel to Georgia for the Ceremony, or potentially sold at the monument dedication ceremony at Andersonville. We have never seen another one! This is an exceedingly rare piece of ephemera from the monument dedication years attended by aged Union Veterans. It measures about 6" by 3 1/4" and is in excellent condition with no flaws.
'New York State Monument at Andersonville, GA. Dedicated 1914. A. J. Palmer Chairman W. B. Carswell Treasurer J. L. Killgore Secretary.'
'Built in 1911 but not dedicated until 1914, the New York monument rises prominently over the southwest quadrant of the cemetery. Reaching a height of twenty-one feet, the monument is constructed of granite with the New York State coat of arms affixed to the front and back. On the front of the monument is a bronze panel featuring dedication text and a female figure bearing a mourning wreath. On the rear is a bronze panel featuring a prison scene. Two prisoners, one old and haggard, the other young and hopeful sit inside the prison, the stockade wall and a guard tower clearly visible. Above them is an angel with an olive branch in her right hand.
For the monument dedication in 1914, the State of New York paid for 222 former prisoners to travel down to Georgia; the average age of these men was 72 1/2 years old. At the dedication service, 2,500 New York flags decorated the graves of the New York dead.'
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