2125 Spruce Street
Murphysboro, Illinois
Civil War veteran and Illinois National Guard Soldier, General John A. Logan once said he was concerned the American people would forget their history and the sacrifices of preceding generations in both war and peace. Logan was a member of the Illinois militia, today's Illinois National Guard. Logan’s list of accomplishments is long: he is credited with founding Memorial Day as a national holiday, he was involved in numerous actions in the Trans-Mississippi theatre, he was commander of the 15th Corps, he was the first commander-in-chief and original co-founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, he was a U. S. representative, U.S. Senator, and candidate for vice president of the United States.
There are several General Logan statues around the country. The first statue dedicated in Illinois was an equestrian statue in Chicago’s Grant Park in 1897. A second equestrian statue was dedicated in 1901in Logan Circle in Washington, D.C. and the circle gives its name to the surrounding neighborhood. A third statue was erected in 1917 stands in the Vicksburg National Military Park. On July 4, 1863 General U.S. Grant honored Logan by inviting his division to lead the Union advance into Vicksburg after the city’s garrison surrendered. A fourth statue of General Logan is located on the grounds of Michael J. Fitzmaurice Veterans Home in Hot Springs, South Dakota and was erected in 1894.
Murphysboro, Logan's birthplace, decided to celebrate a Logan Day in 1930 to dedicate a large monument of Logan and a plaque honoring him as the founder of Memorial Day as a national holiday on the grounds of what is now Murphysboro Middle School. The statue in Murphysboro also honors his wife Mary S.C. Logan. It may be the only statue of a Civil War general to also honor his spouse. Mary Logan continued to be very active in politics and worked tirelessly to gain recognition for military veterans and their families. The monument is the site of annual Logan activities where Logan's contributions to our nation are remember by the laying of symbolic wreaths, playing patriotic music, giving speeches, and a traditional gun salute.
Visiting the General John A. Logan Statue
Hours: Dawn - Dusk
There is no charge to visit the General John A. Logan Statue
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