How the Winter Solstice Relates to the Civil War

For an observer in the northern hemisphere, the December solstice marks the day of the year with the least hours of daylight for those living north of the Tropic of Cancer. It's the longest night of the year. From this point forward, we can start looking forward to longer days, more sunlight and Spring is only three short months away! This year, December 21, 2011 is when most of us in the United States will observe the transformation.

An interesting fact you may or may not know is that the the primary elements of the American Civil War Memorial in Waterloo, New York are aligned in an axis along the meridian like a sundial and not only mark the different times of the day,but specific times of the year, like that of the Winter Solstice. Pietro del Fabro, the designer, poured incredible detail into this creation. The Star Stone lies at the north end of the axis, at the south end is the flag pole. In between, along the same axis, are the portal and the North South Cenotaph. When the shadow cast by a vertical object, such as the Memorial flag pole, is precisely over the meridian, it is local apparent noon. The red flagpole bears the 36-star flag of 1865. Nearby is a North-South cenotaph — a pillar of 36 stones, one from each state in the nation at the war’s close. Behind them is a limestone portal leading to a grove of cedars. The trees circle a white marble stone dotted with star-shaped indentations overlaid with 23-karat gold leaf. Townspeople and visitors have been adding individual notches since 2007, each one representing 1,000 of the war’s 620,000 fallen combatants.
Spaced out in rows to the left and right are 57 individually carved limestone shafts with brass plaques. They pay tribute to the unluckiest of Waterloo’s 350-plus soldiers — men aged 18 to 47 who died in battle or, more commonly, from disease. Another stone pillar memorializes women caught up in the conflict, from mothers and medics to disguised soldiers and spies.
On one wall of the central enclosure is an inscription from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “All dreaded it, all sought to avert it ... and the war came.”
“He was very clear about forgiving the southern side as the war was coming to a finish (so as) to bring the country back together,” said del Fabro. “And unfortunately, when he was shot, it went the other way.”
The Winter Solstice noon mark (unmarked) falls in the middle of the south face of the Star Stone of this memorial.
As we observe this time of year, let's take a moment to think about those who gave so much for our country and new beginnings. Happy Winter Solstice Day!