Forlorn Soldier Oral History Interviews

Oral histories make up a substantial portion of our knowledge regarding the Forlorn Soldier. The earliest account of this statue asserted that designers mistakenly created it with the wrong foot forward. Years later, many thought the statue designed from a mirror image. The most recent account of the story promotes the idea of the soldier as “forlorn and forgotten.” Assembled here is a collection of interviews documenting the latest iteration of the soldier’s oral history. Some of the interviews include Peter G. Kelly, whose family members were the stewards of the monument for over a century, Matthew Warshauer, co-chair of the Civil War Commemoration Commission, and Francis Miller, proprietor of ConservArt, the company contracted to preserve and relocate the statue.

Matthew Warshauer Forlorn Soldier Interview Francis Miller Forlorn Soldier Interview
Peter G. Kelly Condensed Interview Terri Wilson Forlorn Soldier Interview
Peter G. Kelly Forlorn Soldier Interview Knitty Gritty Committee Interview

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Learn More

Websites

Ransom, David. “Connecticut’s Monuments: An Essay Purpose of Monuments.” Connecticut Historical Society, 2016. Link.

Video

Connecticut Network. “Video - Ceremony to Relocate the Statue of the Forlorn Soldier,” July 19, 2013. Link.
Connecticut Network. “Video - State Capitol Dedication Ceremony For The Forlorn Soldier Statue,” September 17, 2013. Link.

Places

“Cedar Hill Cemetery,” 2016. Link.
“Connecticut Museum of Culture and History,” 2017. Link.
“Connecticut State Capitol Tours,” 2017. Link.
“The Wadsworth Atheneum,” 2017. Link.

Books

Roy, Anthony. Neither Forlorn nor Forgotten: A History of James Batterson’s Old Soldier. Hartford, CT: Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission, 2013.

Articles

Hartford Courant. “Almost Forgotten.” May 25, 1986, sec. H.
“Forgotten Sentinel.” The Travelers Beacon 2, no. 21 (August 1939): 6–7.
Dixon, Ken. “‘Forlorn Soldier’ Assumes New Post.” Greenwich Time, September 17, 2013. Link.
Drury, David. “Hartford’s ‘Forlorn Soldier’ To Get A Makeover.” Hartford Courant, July 19, 2013. Link.
Hartford Courant. “Taps for ‘Hayfoot.’” April 12, 1936.
Hartford Courant. “The Lighter Side: Old Hayfoot.” August 20, 1936.

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