Toward the base of the monument, a pair of soldiers stand watch, each with a rifle in his hands.
Three sides of the marble monument bear the names of major battles and campaigns of the Civil War that DeKalb men fought in, including Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill and Antietam (even though Antietam was misspelled). The side that faces Illinois Highway 64, Main Street, is engraved with an excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln's address at Gettysburg.
More than 6,000 people were in attendance for the monument's dedication in 1896 which included an address by local commanders and a parade of veterans.
The pair of patina-green statues at the base of it were once thought to be bronze, but were found to be copper during a 2008 restoration project. They've also been the subject of routine vandalism, as their weapons have been stolen and replaced several times.
Sycamore's local Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War chapter raised $10,000 to repair them in 2015 before the memorial was rededicated for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's end.
--Old Secesh
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