Soldiers' Memorial Obelisk - Reading, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 31.607 W 071° 06.221
19T E 327218 N 4710411
The Soldiers' Memorial Obelisk is located on the top of Round Hill in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Reading , MA.
Waymark Code: WM16TFQ
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 10/02/2022
Views: 0
The monument in Reading was erected on October 5, 1865. It is the first Civil War monument in Massachusetts and the third in the country. A 25' high marble obelisk is topped with the figure of an eagle. Each side of the obelisk contains the name, company, regiment, date of death, place of death, and age of a fallen soldier from Reading.
Four hundred eleven men in three companies from Reading fought in the Civil War. Members of the Richardson Light Guard fought at the First Battle of Bull Run. A second company was part of the Army of the Potomac, and a third company joined General Bank's expedition in Louisiana. Fifteen men were killed in action and 33 died of wounds and illness.
On the lower part of the north facing base is the inscription:
DEDICATED TO THE SONS OF READING
WHO DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT REBELLION
The following 13 names appear on the north face of the obelisk:
JOHN H. WESTON
HENRY E. WARDWELL
CORP. ROBT. H. WESTON
GEO. B. WINN
ADAM HETLER
CORP. OTIS S. SANBORN
SERG. HARRISON TIBBETTS
MATHIAS GAMBELL
HENRY W. KUMMER
PATRICK DELAY
SYDNEY COPELAND
DANIEL BERRY
THOMAS HETLER
Thomas Helter was killed at Bull Run, VA on July 21, 1861 at age 20. He was the first volunteer from Reading, MA killed in the Civil War.
The following 14 names appear on the east face of the obelisk:
THOS. S. WAKEFIELD
OLIVER S. HARTSBORN
CHARLES HOLT
SERG. GEO. J. BARTLETT
LEONARD PETERSON
CORP. JULES R. ALLEN
DAVIS O'KEEFE
CORP. ASA P. TIBBETTS
CORP TOBIAS PINKHAM
HENRY DAMON
SERG. ASA C. BUCK
JOHN A. BARNES
BENJ. G. SANBORN
MOSES P. EATON
The following 11 names appear on the south face of the obelisk:
CORP. SUMNER B. YOUNG
GEO. W. NELSON
JOHN E. ROBINSON
THOMAS E. BANCROFT
ALBERT B. EMERSON
EDWARD E. PRATT
CHAS. O. YOUNG
S. NELSON WESTON
EDWARD E. NICHOLS
JEREMIAH DELAY
CAPT. CHAS. H. STEVENS
The following 10 names appear on the west face of the obelisk:
SAMUEL PRENTISS
JOSIAH H. SMITH
CHAS. W. JONES
ALBERT DAMON
JONATHAN COOK JR.
SOLON D. SMITH
CHAS. H. HOUSEMAN
HENRIE K. PARKER
ROBERT E. NICHOLS
CORP. CHAS. A. DINSMOOR