In 1885, the citizens of Naugatuck erected a memorial in honor of the town’s sons who fought to maintain the Union from 1861 to 1865. Its inscriptions declare that those who died in defense of government by the people are immortal, praise the citizen soldier as fearless in war and industrious in peace, and express a prayer that God preserve the country in the bond of peace then established. The column also names battlefields associated with their service, including Fort Wagner, the Wilderness, Cedar Mountain, Atlanta, Gettysburg, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Petersburg, Chancelorsville, Vicksburg, Cold Harbor, and Fredericksburg.