File:Boy in Blue Civil War Veterans' Memorial in Mankato, MN.jpg

English: This photograph was taken on May 30, 2015, on the occasion of the dedication of the re-created "Boy in Blue" Civil War Veterans' Memorial in Mankato, Minnesota. Originally erected in 1892, and dedicated on "Decoration Day," May 30, 1893; the monument memorialized the sacrifices made by local citizen soldiers in defense of the United States during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The monument consisted of three parts: the statue, representing a Union infantry soldier; the cast iron pedestal with water spouts in the shape of ram's heads representing "Aries" or "Mars"-- the God of War; and the fountain pool made of local "Mankato Stone" (dolomite). The original monument was lost due to vandalism, neglect and the ravages of wind and rain. The statue was toppled in 1911, and not repaired. The last vestiges of the "Boy in Blue" (named for what Union soldiers called themselves) Memorial were removed in 1927, when the fountain pool was removed from the park (Lincoln) in Mankato, where the monument was erected. A group of local citizens formed a committee in 2011 to re-create the monument as close to the original one as possible. They were able to locate the original blueprints for the pedestal, owned by Robinson Iron of Alexander City, Alabama, who was commissioned to recast the pedestal. Alan Gibson, a sculptor with experience in restoring a similar monument in Cape Girardeau, Missouri was hired to fabricate the statue. Finally, the fountain pool was rebuilt by local contractor, Goodrich Construction of Mankato. Like its predecessor, today's memorial honors the valor and courage of the 682 citizen soldiers from Blue Earth County, MN (Mankato is the county seat) who answered their nation's call in its darkest hour.