Memorial Day and Bath's Civil War Monument

Bath’s Civil War soldiers’ monument sits upon the rise of the west end of Centre Street, in front of the Sagadahoc County Courthouse. On the downtown walking tour, we see it, but only from afar. Tour participants are shocked when they do the math, calculating how many Bath men died in the Civil War in proportion to how many served.

It would be an easy walk afterward to take a closer look, and read some of those names. It is festooned, or decorated, every year for Memorial Day. I found the Maine National Guard’s overview of Maine’s participation in the Civil War helpful, and it includes some specific details about the people of Bath’s participation, including women and African Americans.

Bath, Maine Civil War Monument (looking NW) being decorated for Memorial Day, 2017.

Looking east, misty rain, in 2021. The 1927 Carlton Bridge across the Kennebec River is in the background.

Every Memorial Day, volunteers decorate veterans’ graves at Maple Grove, Oak Grove and other cemeteries in the city. The American Legion Smith-Tobey Post 21 holds a parade that begins at 10:30am at the corner of Lincoln and Congress Streets; it makes its way downtown and finishes at Library Park with a dedication ceremony.