Idea pitched to erect monument honoring slaves who joined Union Army

A Union soldier statue tops the fountain in Cape Girardeau�s Ivers Square. A monument to Confederate solders stands nearby. But there is no statue or monument commemorating the sacrifices of former slaves who enlisted in the Union Army colored regiments during the Civil War.

Denise Lincoln, who has researched the history of Cape Girardeau�s black soldiers, wants a statue erected in their honor. She even has a particular statue in mind.

She wants to have a bronze statue cast from the molds of a statue of a black Union soldier created by artist Roy Butler and installed several years ago at the National Veterans Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

In addition to the one in Nashville, a second statue from that mold has been erected in Helena, Arkansas, said Lincoln, who has traveled to Helena to see that statue.

�It just captures the spirit of courage and the resolve of freedom,� she said Tuesday.

Lincoln said it �seems like a good match� to help tell the story of Ivers Square, formerly Common Pleas Courthouse Park.

�It is a remarkable story. I am ashamed it has been shut down for so long,� she said.

The Cape Girardeau City Council last summer renamed Courthouse Park as Ivers Square in honor of a Cape Girardeau slave, who enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, and his wife. Ivers Square was named in honor of James and Harriet Ivers as recommended by the city�s Historic Preservation Commission.

Last month, the commission unanimously endorsed Lincoln�s statue proposal.

Lincoln said more than 200 blacks enlisted in the Union Army at Cape Girardeau from June 1863 to June 1864; Ivers enlisted June 18, 1863, at the Common Pleas Courthouse. He served in the 56th United States Colored Infantry, which was stationed in Helena. He died Oct. 1, 1863, in the regimental hospital from what military records called �consumption,� now known as tuberculosis, Lincoln�s research shows.

The proposed statue for Ivers Square would complete �the story on that lawn,� she said.

Lincoln said Butler, the artist, has indicated condition of the molds used by the foundry to fabricate the statue will only allow for creation of one more statue.

The statue would cost $45,000, which would include the artist�s fee, plus an additional $400 to $500 for shipping insurance, off loading and installation, according to minutes from the commission�s March meeting.

A cheaper alternative would be to have a bust fabricated, which could cost $8,500, according to the March minutes.

But she said the full-scale statue would better commemorate the contributions of former slaves who joined the Union Army.

Lincoln, who describes herself as �a lone ranger with a big idea,� said it will take private contributions to make the project a reality.

�It is still in the dream stage,� she said, adding there�s no funding yet. City leaders have yet to approve it, Lincoln said. �It is just a concept.�

But at the same time, Lincoln suggested this is the right time to propose such a project.

�If it is not finally time, I don�t know when it will be,� she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Ivers Square, Cape Girardeau, Mo.