The monument honored those who gave their lives from 1861 to 1865 so that the nation might live. It was originally dedicated on July 3, 1909 through the efforts of the Hancock Women's Relief Corps No. 282, an auxiliary of Hancock Post No. 579, Grand Army of the Republic, a nationwide organization of former Union Civil War veterans founded in 1866. Former Civil War General and Congressman Isaac Sherwood, numerous Civil War veterans, school children, and ordinary citizens attended. The original concrete pedestal was mixed and poured by local Civil War veterans at a cost of $400. At the time of the dedication, Defiance County had four G.A.R. posts and two other G.A.R. monuments, and Ohio had a total of 740 G.A.R. posts.