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A Monument for Peace

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A Monument for Peace A Monument for Peace A Monument for Peace by W.M. Akers In December, 1864, the Civil War was nearly over. The armies of the Union had conquered most of the South, but the fighting was not finished. Hoping to reverse the war's course, the Confederate general John Bell Hood marched his army toward Nashville. The capital of Tennessee, Nashville, had been under Union control since 1862. Capturing it, Hood hoped, could save the Confederacy. th It was freezing cold when the battle started on December 15 . The Confederate troops were outnumbered. They fought in ragged uniforms,th sometimes without shoes. Against the superior Union army, they had no hope. On December 16 , Hood was defeated. The war was over. The Union won the Civil War four months later. Although the Southern states returned to the Union, the country remained divided. Fifty years later, most of the war's veterans were dead. Around the country, towns and cities had begun building monuments in their memory. In the North, monuments were built to honor the Union. In the South, monuments honored the Confederacy. Even though the states were united again, no one built a monument to both sides. In 1914, Mrs. James E. Caldwell and her group, the Ladies Battlefield Association, began raising ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. A Monument for Peace money to build a monument for those who died in the Battle of Nashville. They hired Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti to design a statue. They raised money by hosting balls and asking local businesses for donations. By 1927, they had enough, and the monument was completed. Moretti's statue showed a young man standing between two horses. Behind it, a tall white obelisk was built, with an angel at the top. "No guns, no swords, no trappings of war mar the peace-like beauty," Mrs. Caldwell said. It was not a war monument, but a peace monument. The structure was special because it honored all those who died in the war-no matter which side they fought for. Built less than a decade after World War I, it was also dedicated to the American soldiers of that conflict. In 1974, a tornado knocked the 40-foot-tall obelisk to the ground, where it shattered to pieces, along with the angel at its top. Moretti's sculpture was damaged, but it was repaired. The city did not have the money, however, to build a new column. A few years later, an interstate was built beside the monument, blocking it from view, and making it hard for anyone to get to it. For two decades, the monument was alone-out of sight and nearly forgotten by the public. In 1992, the Tennessee Historical Commission chose a new location for the monument, inside a small park near the original battlefield. Again, fundraising was necessary-to move the statue and construct a new obelisk. The original statue cost $30,000 in 1927. To move and restore it would cost much more-some estimate more than $500,000. But after seven years of work, the money was collected, and the statue was rededicated-with a brand new obelisk to go with it. Finally, Mrs. Caldwell's monument was whole again, and the message of peace could be seen once more. ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. A Monument for Peace - StepRead2 A Monument for Peace by W.M. Akers (Adapted by ReadWorks) In December 1864, the Civil War was almost over. The Union Army of the North had defeated most of the South. But the fighting was not over. A general in the Confederate Army of the South had not given up. He took his soldiers to Nashville. It was the capital of Tennessee and had been taken over by the North two years before. The general hoped to take the city back. He thought that if he did, the South could be saved. The Battle of Nashville started on December 15. The weather that day was very cold. Soldiers for the South were fighting in torn uniforms. Some of them did not have shoes. Also, the North had more soldiers there than they did. There was no way they could win. On December 16, they lost the battle. Four months later, the North won the Civil War. Fifty years after the war ended, most of the soldiers who had fought in it were dead. Cities across the United States began to build structures to remember and honor the war's soldiers. Such structures are known as monuments. The North built monuments for soldiers in the Union Army. The South built monuments for soldiers in the Confederate Army. But no one built a monument for soldiers on both sides. The South had become part of the United States again, but not everyone in the country felt ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. A Monument for Peace - StepRead2 united. Then a group of women started collecting money for a new monument. They wanted one for the people who died in the Battle of Nashville. They started collecting money in 1914. They collected it by having parties and asking for money from businesses. By 1927 they had enough money to pay for the monument. The monument was made by an artist. One part of it was a statue of a young man. He was standing between two horses. Behind him was a tall, pointed column. On top of the column was an angel. There were no guns, swords, or anything else that would ruin the peacefulness of the monument. It was not a war monument. It was a peace monument. The monument was special because it was for soldiers from both the North and the South. It was also for American soldiers who had fought in World War I. In 1974, a tornado hit the monument. It knocked over the column and the angel on top. They were broken to pieces. The statue of the young man with the horses was damaged too. The city was able to fix the statue, but it didn't have enough money to pay for a new column. A few years later, a highway was built next to the monument. The highway made it hard for people to see and get to the monument. For twenty years, the monument was out of sight. People almost forgot about it. In 1992, the state government decided that the monument should be moved. The government wanted to move the monument to a park. The park was near the place where the Battle of Nashville was fought. Once again, money had to be collected. The money was needed to move the statue and build a new column. Building the monument had cost a lot in 1927. Moving and fixing it would cost even more. Collecting the money took seven years. After those seven years, the statue was moved, and a new column was built. Finally, the monument was whole again. Its message of peace could be seen once more. ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. ReadWorks Vocabulary - monument monument mon·u·ment Definition noun 1. something built in memory of a person, event, or special act. There are many famous monuments in Washington, D.C. Advanced Definition noun 1. something made or erected in commemoration of an event, achievement, or person. 2. something maintained in the public interest for its aesthetic or historical significance. 3. an outstanding or exceptional example. a monument of great research Spanish cognate monumento: The Spanish word monumento means monument. These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used: 1. Recently, historian David McCullough wrote a book about John Adams. He says that a monument should be built to honor Adams. "There is no other American... with the exception of George Washington, who did more toward winning the Revolution and establishing [our] form of government than John Adams," McCullough said. 2. Money from the exhibition will go toward protecting Egypt's historic sites, including the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egyptian antiquities, said those sites and others in Egypt are literally crumbling. He hopes to raise about $10 million. "These monuments will be gone in 100 years if we don't raise the money to restore them," he told The New York Times. 3. Later cases addressed whether the Ten Commandments could be displayed in other public places, such as on the grounds of government buildings. In 2005, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a monument listing the Ten Commandments on Texas Capitol grounds did not violate the Constitution. That same year, though, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a monument listing the Ten Commandments at the Kentucky Capitol had to be removed. 4. Archaeologists (the folks who study the past by recovering fossil remains, monuments, etc.) have found buttons from many ancient civilizations. The Indus Valley people used them, as did the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese. ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved. ReadWorks Vocabulary - obelisk obelisk ob·e·lisk Advanced Definition noun 1. a tall stone shaft with four inclined sides and a pyramid-shaped point at the top. 2. in printing, a symbol resembling a cross, used mainly as a reference mark; dagger. Spanish cognate obelisco: The Spanish word obelisco means obelisk. These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used: 1. But after seven years of work, the money was collected, and the statue was rededicated-with a brand new obelisk to go with it.
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