This old soldier won't fade away: Residents of Ohio village can now look eye-to-eye at Civil War statue reassembled after a big rig crushed monument into pieces

The old statue was moved into village administration building (LHS and Village of LaGrange)

“Sherman,” the Ohio Civil War statue that was shattered by a big rig and put back together again, has come in from the cold.

LaGrange village and township employees – using machine and muscle – late last week moved the granite man from the unheated old fire station to the village’s administration building.

“They rented a gun safe dolly. They used a lot of muscle, too,” said Jan King, treasurer of the LaGrange Historical Society. “He is inside where it is temperature controlled.”

The new home for the statue brings the story full circle for the Picket, which first reported on the matter in summer 2022 after a tractor trailer driver apparently fell asleep at the village’s traffic circle. The rig smashed the 1903 memorial into pieces.

The community was determined to make things whole.

Master stone carver Nicholas Fairplay glued “Sherman” back together and used him as a model for a replica. Cleveland Quarries rebuilt the monument base below the soldier.

Both were installed on the rural village’s circle in May 2025.

The old “Sherman” was moved around the same time to the fire station (photo, left), where he stood for seven months before the recent move.

The statue, which weighs about 1,500 pounds, is now in a hallway close to the historical society (he’s too big to fit inside the group’s small museum and learning center). It is being kept for now in a protective wooden frame.

“We will have to anchor him down,” said King. “There is a possibility he could be pushed over.”

That would be especially tragic for the old fellow, having already suffered the indignity of losing his head (it broke off) when the truck pulverized the original memorial. (Photos below from LaGrange Township)

Local folks call the statue “Sherman,” but King was quick to quash that moniker during our phone call.

The correct name is “the statue” or “the flag bearer,” she said.

So how did the stone soldier come to be called “Sherman”?

The monument base carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas. Sherman was an Ohioan.

Sherman’s name on the monument base was directly below the front of the statue, so that name stuck.

I asked King, whose family has lived in the community southwest of Cleveland for generations, to describe the old statue, now that he is on ground level.

The retired seamstress is impressed by the craftsmanship – the flag’s carved stars, stitch marks on his lapel and the deep-set eyes. “There is a lot of detail to it.” (Photos above, LaGrange Historical Society)

The society and village office are in a former school building on Liberty Street. “Sherman” is next to a trophy case.

The historical society is open on the third Sunday of each month and on special request. There are old records, photos and a buggy inside, all signaling LaGrange’s rural roots. “It used to be an agricultural city but it is getting more away from that,” said King.

A group of third-graders once stopped by and King was able to show some of them graduation photos of their grandparents.

New statue at studio in Vermilion and monument installation in LaGrange (Courtesy Cleveland Quarries)

Safety measures have helped reduce intrusions into the traffic circle, which is at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street).

Villagers used to blow horns and drive around the circle when they got married; school buses still take victory laps when athletes return victorious from competitions elsewhere, King added.

Whatever he is called, the replica Union flag bearer is a fixture in LaGrange and watches over those passing through.

Sherman the soldier is back as the heart of an Ohio community. A replica of the granite monument smashed by a big rig in 2022 is set in place for the long haul

Statue at studio in Vermilion and monument installation in LaGrange (Courtesy Cleveland Quarries)

Sherman the flag bearer is again standing tall above the traffic circle in LaGrange, Ohio.

Nearly three years after a tractor trailer smashed the granite Civil War monument, workers installed a replacement Wednesday in time for Memorial Day and a founding celebration for the small community near Cleveland.

“Our community is almost whole. It’s wonderful to see him standing there again,” said LaGrange Township trustee Rita Canfield in a Friday email.

Zachary Carpenter, president of Cleveland Quarries in Vermilion, said the entire process of making the replica monument has gone more smoothly than expected. (At left, Sherman back in place)

“We are all very proud of the work completed and it means a lot to me personally to have been involved in something so historically significant to the area – especially knowing (hoping) that Sherman will be standing in LaGrange for another 100 years.”

While master stone carver Nicholas Fairplay fashioned the statue of the resolute soldier, Carpenter’s company made and finished the blocks below his feet. That includes the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, and mentions of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas.

“The whole structure is almost 40,000 pounds,” said Carpenter, adding the soldier himself may weigh up to two tons.

So why is the soldier known around the community as Sherman? Yes, the general with that name is from Ohio. But the real reason is because of the four generals represented on the monument, Sherman's name is the one beneath the front of the statue.

Officials in LaGrange were determined to replace the 1903-04 memorial obliterated in June 2022. The monument, which was made up of several pieces, topped by the Union soldier, was shattered by the truck. Even his head was broken off.

The farm community determined the damage was too severe for a repair. After finalizing a $923,244 settlement with the trucking company’s insurance company, LaGrange Township hired Fairplay and Carpenter's company.

Pieces of the monument before assembly this week (LaGrange Township)

They worked from the original statue -- painstakingly glued together by Fairplay and an assistant to use as a template for the new one. He worked in a studio at Cleveland Quarries, which milled the raw form of the replacement statue at its operation in Vermilion.

The return of the fixture at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street) coincides with the 200^th anniversary of the township and the 150^th for the village. (They are separate political entities. The monument is owned by the township and is the center point of the village.). 

Joint events on May 24-26 include a car show, pancake breakfast, 5K run, carnival, parade and the statue unveiling on Memorial Day. Members of the LaGrange Historical Society will be present all three days. (More details here)

The original statue was shattered into dozens of pieces, including its head (LaGrange Township)

Canfield said Friday caulking and grout work on the stone will be completed soon.

“The remaining work to be done to the site will be completed after Memorial Day. Due to the weather and the Founder Event planned, we are leaving the existing sidewalk until after Memorial Day weekend," the township official said. "The sprinkler system, grass, general landscaping, lighting and flag pole will wait until the heavy work is done.”

Mayor Gary Kincannon of LaGrange Village told the Picket he was pleased with the return of Sherman, the literal center point of town.

“I grew up in town and used to sit on the statue from 8-9 years old until high school. Something was definitely missing, but back now.”

Two hanged Andrews Raiders are among 19 inducted into Ohio Military Hall of Fame. 'I wish more people knew about the history,' a descendant says

Recipients and relatives or descendants of honorees, the Military Hall of Fame medal and the reverse for Pvt. George D. Wilson (All photos Ryan Griffin, Ohio Department of Veterans Services)

Theresa Chandler believes it is appropriate her ancestor, Pvt. George D. Wilson, was honored Friday in the Ohio Statehouse, where tens of thousands filed past the coffin of President Abraham Lincoln 160 years before.

After all, Lincoln’s administration was the first to bestow the Medal of Honor, and that was to participants of the Andrews Raid. Wilson was one of eight men executed as spies following a dramatic locomotive chase in North Georgia.

Theresa Chandler talks with Brig. Gen. Matthew Woodruff of the Ohio National Guard 

For descendants of the families of Wilson and Pvt. Perry (Philip) Shadrach, who also was hanged, the ceremony in Columbus was a full circle moment – the men belatedly received the Medal of Honor last summer and were now being recognized for valor and induction into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame.

“I think it was important being honored in Ohio as part of the Civil War and I wish people knew more about the history of how we got to where we are today,” Chandler, 86, told the Picket on Tuesday.

Chandler, great-great granddaughter of Wilson, has said she got chills when she learned the soldier called for the return of one flag over the country before his execution. “We were not aware of any of the background when we were growing up.”

The sabotage mission along the Western & Atlantic Railroad from Atlanta to Chattanooga in 1862 was a tactical failure, but was a boost to the war-weary North. .

James Andrews and his band of Union raiders, dressed in civilian clothes, tried to destroy much of the railroad and communications as they rushed northward on April 12, 1862. But little damage was done and the group was forced to flee when the commandeered locomotive General ran out of fuel.

They were captured and most later escaped or were exchanged. Andrews and seven others -- including Shadrach and Wilson -- were treated as spies and executed. The episode became known as the "Great Locomotive Chase" because Southerners in the locomotive Texas pursued the General.

Shadrach and Wilson, members of the 2^nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, are buried at the national cemetery in Chattanooga, Tenn., where new Medal of Honor headstones were unveiled in October following events for descendants.

While other members of the raid received the Medal of Honor, paperwork did not go through for the pair, supporters of the recognition claimed.

The Ohio Department of Veterans Services said 19 Ohioans were inducted in the statehouse atrium. “Of the 19 honorees, 12 are posthumous awards. Six were killed in combat. For their actions, members of this class have received multiple awards for valor including three the Medal of Honor recipients.” Most of the honorees saw combat during and since World War II.

Accepting the Shadrach medal was Ron Shadrach (below with Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr.), a great cousin

He nominated his ancestor and Wilson for the state honor and was a leader in the long campaign for them to receive the Medal of Honor, which was bestowed last summer by then-President Joe Biden.

Chandler’s sisters Charlene Murphy and Joyce Dersom and other family members were on hand Friday.

Chandler said Friday was the first time she saw a ground-floor plaque honoring the Andrews Raiders.

A 2012 ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the raid was held in the Statehouse.

“There are a lot of people who have heard about the Andrews Raiders but don’t know about the history of it," Chandler said.

Ron Shadrach (left) and others look at the Andrews Raid plaque on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

11th Virginia flag captured at Pickett's Charge is sold at auction for a total $468,000. The largely intact artifact surfaced at a Georgia collectors show a few years back

A Confederate battle flag captured during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg has sold at auction for $390,000, four years after it surfaced at a Civil War show in Dalton, Ga.

Fleischer’s Auctions listed the flag of the 11^th Virginia, which served in Kemper’s Brigade, as likely going between $150,000 and $300,000. With the buyer’s premium, a private individual purchased the flag Saturday for $468,000, president Adam Fleischer told the Picket in an email Sunday.

“The flag's high sale price was gratifying, given its historic significance and rarity,” said Fleischer. “Its recognition as one of the most valuable Civil War artifacts sold in recent years rightfully reflects its importance.” (Photos courtesy Fleischer's Auctions)

The flag was among dozens of Civil War and militaria items sold over the weekend by the Ohio business. There were 30 bids on the hand-sewn artifact involving four people on the phone. 

Fleischer talked with Columbus, Ohio, NPR station WOSU about the regimental flag.

“It was advanced by several successive color bearers who were either wounded or killed before it was ultimately captured by an officer in the 16th Vermont Infantry. That officer, after capturing the flag, was killed himself.”

The officer was 2^nd Lt. Cyren B. Lawton.

Fleischer’s said the flag hung at a home in Memphis, Tenn., for decades. It belonged to a 16th Vermont veteran who moved there are the war.

The person who brought the flag to the Chickamauga Civil War Show cracked open a wooden frame and unfolded the flag. With it was a tag:

"Confederate flag remnant, Taken at Gettysburg by Capt. H. F. Dix, 16th Vt. Vol. Inf. Loan of me Elizabeth Dix, June 1943." Dix kept the flag after comrades divided portions of the flag as a souvenir after the failed Confederate assault.

Gregg Biggs, a flag expert who wrote a report on the artifact for Fleischer's, was at the Dalton show and took photos of it being removed from its frame.

"This was a stunning flag to finally turn up so long after it's capture in July 1863," he told the Picket. "The 16th Vermont who took this flag also got the silk flag of the 2nd Florida Infantry, which is still missing and presumably still in Vermont if it has not fallen apart by now."

He said about 50%-55% of the original flag remained.

"The flag was heavily souvenired into the form of a plus (+) which was done in honor of the death of a fellow soldier," Biggs said by email. "After it turned up it went to a conservator who shadowed in the missing areas. If you look closely at the flag you can see these differences easily enough."

Biggs said the man who brought it to the Dalton show from Memphis was a descendant of a 16th Vermont veteran who moved to Tennessee after the war. A collector bought the flag, had it conserved and then sold it to an individual who later consigned it to Fleisher's Auctions, he added.

Mike Kent, who runs and promotes the Dalton show, told the Picket on Monday the flag came in as a walk-in item, but he was not aware of it until recently, because many rare and valuable items change hands without his knowledge.

“I get excited when articles such as the flag are brought to our shows, identified and often sold at high end auctions as it adds credence to our events and often encourages others to bring artifacts to our next event or some other show which keeps our industry alive,” Kent said in an email.

“For it to emerge after 158 years in the condition it is in is unbelievable. Cloth and paper items from the Civil War are usually the first to disintegrate due to their fragile nature and rough usage, which adds even more value to this particular flag. It was definitely one of the finest items to ever pass through our show and we all hope it is well cared for so that future generations may appreciate it."

It’s believed to be the only Confederate battle flag captured during the assault that is in private hands.

"Following the flag’s discovery, it was expertly conserved, and appropriate modern material was artfully arranged in the frame for display purposes," the auction house said.

The Confederate battle flag in the past decade has been embroiled in controversy. Some argue it’s a symbol of Southern culture while others call it a racist symbol. WOSU asked Fleischer how to contextualize Confederate relics.

“The artifact that we're offering is just contextualized by the fact that it's a historic artifact. It's not a monument. And as you can imagine, we put this online recently and it stoked a lot of controversy,” he told the station.

“There are those who think it should be destroyed, even as a historic artifact. But I guess what I would remind them is that this was a flag that a Northern officer lost his life to capture. And so it not only represents the Confederacy, but also the heroism of Union soldiers who captured it.”

Fleischer's said its weekend auction netted $2 million in sales.  

Following Memorial Day parade, a Ohio community near Cleveland will dedicate a replacement for its Civil War statue shattered by a big rig in 2022

The new monument is at left in first photo, right in second image (Photos courtesy N. Fairplay)

Nearly three years after a tractor trailer slammed into a Civil War monument in northern Ohio, knocking it to pieces, a replica will be unveiled on Memorial Day, a symbol of community pride in veterans and their sacrifice.

Officials in LaGrange were determined to replace the 1903 granite memorial that was obliterated in June 2022. The monument, which was made up of several pieces, topped by a Union soldier, was shattered. Even his head was broken off.

The metro Cleveland and farm community determined the damage was too severe for a repair.

After finalizing a $923,244 settlement with the trucking company’s insurance company, LaGrange Township hired master carver Nicholas Fairplay and Cleveland Quarries to make new versions of the statue and other parts of the monument in the downtown square.

They worked from the original statue -- painstakingly glued together by Fairplay and an assistant to use as a template for the new one. He worked in a studio at Cleveland Quarries, which milled the raw form of the replacement statue at its operation in Vermilion.

The piece was shattered into dozens of pieces, including its head (Photos LaGrange Township)

Fairplay told the Picket he expects to have the work completed late this week. He provided a few photos showing results of the detail work he and the assistant performed.

“The space between the legs and hand are now pierced. We are now working on the surface detail,” he said. Of one photo he sent, the carver said, “You can see red pencil marks showing where we have to carve deeper shadow.”

LaGrange Township trustee Rita Canfield said the plan is to have the so-called Sherman statue installed the week of May 12. The soldier's figure will be covered until Memorial Day (May 26).

Return of the fixture at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street) coincides with the 200^th anniversary of the township and the 150^th for the village. (They are separate political entities).

Joint events on May 24-26 include a car show, pancake breakfast, 5K run, carnival, parade and the statue unveiling on Memorial Day. Members of the LaGrange Historical Society will be present all three days. (More details here)

Faint red marks on new statue (left) show areas needing refining (Photo courtesy N. Fairplay)

“We hope to have a good turnout and will be hosting fireworks and other events as part of the return celebration and the founding of the community at the same time,” said Canfield.

Below the statue is the monument base, which carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas. Cleveland Quarries replaced all of the pieces comprising the base.

“I must say that Nick has done a fabulous job,” said Canfield. “His work has been impeccable. Cleveland Quarries owner Zach Carpenter and his team have given us our heritage back. They have been the type of partner that we all want to work with: Transparent, honest, fair and very highly skilled with an insane attention to detail in their recreation of our monument.”

He has stood tall for more than 120 years

To say the Sherman statue, as locals call it, is vital to the area’s identity might be an understatement. It sits smack dab in the middle of the community, which has about 2,500 residents.

The memorial, made of Vermont granite, was erected in 1903 (some sources say 1904) for about $3,000. The project was a joint project of LaGrange Village and LaGrange Township, a separate political entity. They are in Lorain County.

The monument is owned by the township and is the center point of the village. (At left, the monument before its destruction, photo LaGrange Township)

The township was determined the new Sherman is faithful to the old one in every way, from the pose and flag of the Federal soldier to the stacked blocks below him that feature battles and the names of area men who served and died in the war.

After the traffic accident, officials ensured that virtually every piece, down to chips, of the monument were stored so they could serve as a guide for the replica.

Fairplay describes the soldier as having undersized feet and hands. “I think his legs are a little shorter for this height.”

“He is carved quite simple but (is) a heroic, nostalgic statue. It is not a Greek or Roman statue emphasizing portraiture.” The work will include the U.S. flag leaning out and a tree stump next to the right leg. “Most have tree stumps or drapery because the weight of the statue will not be (supported) by the ankles,” said Fairplay.

I asked him why the new statue is lighter than the original.

“The original statue is darker due to pollution on the surface which could be cleaned off. You could see the original color of the granite when the statue was in pieces.” By that, he means granite below the surface was not discolored and when the memorial was broken, you could see the difference (photo below).

Safeguarding the soldier's future

Canfield said the insurance settlement will fund the monument, a new flagpole, lights and other infrastructure on the circle. 

Truckers often use Route 301 through town. A series of crashes, culminating with the loss of the soldier, prompted officials to place bright yellow metal poles – known as bollards – to warn motorists of the vulnerable circle.

In the 2022 incident, an incident report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver told a responding officer that he fell asleep and went through a stop sign. The driver was not found to be impaired.

Cleveland Quarries is donating large sandstone blocks to replace the bollards.

“We are pretty confident if someone fails to stop, if they hit the couple tons they will come to a stop,” Canfield said in a bit of understatement.

The Sherman statue suffered another indignity 65 years ago, according to a Lorain County nostalgia blog. A newspaper article in November 1957 said pranksters tarred and feathered the base.

So what will happen to the original monument after Memorial Day?

“At this time, the … old statue of Sherman will be placed in the old Society Hall/fire station. The remaining base pieces will be placed in the cemetery,” said Canfield. “The epoxy used to glue the statue back together will not tolerate the weather and would degrade over time.”

One of the Civil War campaigns being noted in the new monument (Cleveland Quarries)

Pieces of a Civil War statue pulverized by big rig in an Ohio township were reassembled. Now the old soldier is guiding efforts to build a new monument

The Sherman statue was reassembled piece by piece to serve as a guide (Photos Nicholas Fairplay)

English-born Nicholas Fairplay has carved gargoyles, lions and even the severed head of John the Baptist -- providing museum-quality creations to cathedrals and historic buildings around the world.

But it is the replica of a simple statue of a Civil War soldier that now has the attention of Fairchild, who has toiled for years in the Cleveland area.

A tractor trailer rig struck the monument in the rural village of LaGrange, Ohio, on June 28, 2022. The granite memorial, which was made up of several pieces, was shattered. Even the soldier's head was broken off.

The community’s spirit, however, was not squashed.

After finalizing a $923,244 settlement with the trucking company’s insurance company, LaGrange Township hired Fairplay and Cleveland Quarries to make new versions of the statue and other parts of the monument. (At left, the monument before its destruction, photo LaGrange Township)

They are working from the original statue -- painstakingly glued together by Fairplay and an assistant to use as a template for the new one. “We saved every shard of granite we could possibly pick up,” said LaGrange Township trustee Rita Canfield.

The township hopes the fixture at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street) will be back up for Memorial Day 2025. That coincides with the 200^th anniversary of the township and the 150^th for the village. (They are separate political entities).

To say the Sherman monument, as locals call it, is vital to the area’s identity might be an understatement. It sits smack dab in the middle of the community, which has about 2,500 residents.

Fairplay says you can drive through LaGrange in about two minutes. “When you are at the statue in the middle, you drive an eighth of a mile, you are out of the town either way.”

The township is determined that the new Sherman is faithful to the old one in every way, from the pose and flag of the Federal soldier to the stacked blocks below him that feature battles and the names of area men who served and died in the war.

There was discussion on where to get the granite, with Georgia as an option. Forget that.

“The community said it could not get it from the South. They had to get it from the North,” said Canfield. The decision was to procure it again from a quarry in Vermont. Another operation in that state provided the stone for the original 1903 statue.

The piece was shattered into dozens of pieces, including its head (Photos LaGrange Township)

Fairplay told the Picket the Sherman monument was nicely done. He has worked on a couple other Civil War memorials.

“These little towns, when you go to them, it is shocking how many died,” he said.

The master carver is working in a studio at Cleveland Quarries, which is milling the soldier for carving by Fairplay. The company also is producing all the pieces below the figure at its operation in Vermilion.

“There has been a lot of surprise from people when they hear the monument would be rebuilt,” said Cleveland Quarries president Zach Carpenter. “They assume (that) after some of the controversy with different historical monuments in other parts of the country. We are very proud to be a part of this project and are extremely happy it is being returned to its original state.”

Nicholas Fairplay will work from this milled granite once it is complete (Cleveland Quarries)

Statue was turned around to face the South

The monument is owned by the township and is the center point of the village.

The base carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the Civil War, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas. Though the statue is not of Sherman – who was from Ohio – his name stuck.

The township points out that Sherman faced north for the first decade of his life. He was turned around, with the explanation that “a good solider never turned his back on the enemy.”

After the traffic accident, officials ensured that virtually every piece, down to chips, of the monument were stored so they could serve as a guide for the replica.

Before and after the truck crash that took out the monument, flagpole and more

Truckers often use Route 301 through town. A series of crashes, culminating with the loss of the soldier, prompted officials to place bright yellow metal poles – known as bollards – to warn motorists of the vulnerable circle.

Cleveland Quarries will donate large sandstone blocks to replace the bollards. “We are pretty confident if someone fails to stop, if they hit the couple tons they will come to a stop,” Canfield said in a bit of understatement.

There are aesthetic reasons, too, said Carpenter.

“In doing site visits, we thought would be far more attractive to have natural stones in place of the yellow bollards,” he said. “I personally am from a community very near LaGrange and wanted to be sure that the monument would look as best (as) possible when complete.”

One of the Civil War campaigns being noted in the new monument (Cleveland Quarries)

Canfield said the settlement will fund the monument, a new flagpole, lights and other infrastructure on the circle. “It could not be better spent. The insurance settlement was an attempt to make this community whole. We are not using taxpayer money,” she said.

They scanned original as guide to cutting block

While New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, its neighbor Vermont has plenty for sale.

Cleveland Quarries and Fairplay will work with Stanstead grey stone from Polycor. “We are part of an enduring Vermont industry centered in Barre, dating back to the period just after the War of 1812,” Polycor says on its website.

“The most challenging part of this project so far has been the size and weight of the granite. One of the blocks procured was well over 50,000 pounds at the start,” Carpenter said. “We had the blocks cut at the quarry and then had to cut them two more times in several cases to get the pieces required. While we have some of the largest CNC stone saws available certain parts of the project pushed our capacity to the limit.” (At right, Nicholas Fairplay shows off the reassembled statue. Photo LaGrange Township)

A 10,000-pound block of granite was shipped for the soldier’s statue. Incidentally, the design of the soldier came from a pattern used to produce similar pieces across the North.

Craftsmen used a wand to scan the glued-back soldier and that was projected into a computer. “They kind of stitched it together. They put it into a 3D model you can rotate,” said Fairplay.

Cleveland Quarries is milling the statue, using a router to cut out the basic form. Carpenter said he expects to finish that piece this week and have it ready for Fairplay to get to work. “It comes off like a blob,” said the carver.

From there, he and an assistant will use a pneumatic chisel to do the exacting details. It will take them several months, while Fairplay splits time with a project for the Hellenistic Preservation Society of Northeastern Ohio.

The benefits and risks of using granite

I asked Fairplay, 67, to extol the virtues of various stone used in carving larger pieces.

While marble is gorgeous, it has a hard time standing up to Ohio’s climate. Marble really needs to be inside.” Limestone, he says, is durable.

Granite is the most durable, being impervious to water. Carvers, however, crave a very fine form of the stone. “You can’t quite get as fine a detail as marble.” (At left, preparing to mount the head of the original Civil War statue. Photo Nicholas Fairplay)

“The granite tools are much blunter” and the material is not as forgiving, said Fairplay, who has plied the trade since he was 16. The dust from granite is carcinogenic so he and the assistant will be wearing a mask and using extraction fans.

The carver will work on the statue and crossed rifles on a block below.

Fairplay describes the soldier as having undersized feet and hands. “I think his legs are a little shorter for this height.”

“He is carved quite simple but (is) a heroic, nostalgic statue. It is not a Greek or Roman statue emphasizing portraiture.” The work will include the U.S. flag leaning out and a tree stump next to the right leg. “Most have tree stumps or drapery because the weight of the statue will not be (supported) by the ankles,” said Fairplay.

“The only tricky bit is the piercing between the hands and legs.”

Carver decries removal of Civil War monuments

The monument very much harkens the Victorian age of sentimentality and pride. “The eyes are done very deep,” Fairplay observed.

Canfield, the township trustee, says local folks strongly support veterans, including the display of honor wreaths and related events.

And Fairplay feels strongly about historic monuments, citing the removal of Civil War statues, mostly in the South.

“To lose that kind of history is a big mistake. I get really angry at them taking Confederate ones down, too. It is ridiculous.” He says art is an easy target.

As for Cleveland Quarries, craftsmen will ensure pieces are identical to the original. (At right, rubbings of the words on the monument to be used for replica stones. Photo LaGrange Township)

“Most important and detailed will be the list of names that was damaged,” said Carpenter. “We have already gone to great lengths to reassemble the broken pieces and cross reference historical documents to make sure the names will appear exactly as they did.”

As for the original Sherman once his replica is made? There’s talk of him being saved, perhaps on display somewhere.