Papers and still images from the Wisconsin Adjutant General's Office pertaining to various monuments and memorials dedicated to the service of Wisconsin veterans and military units. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper articles, photographs, postcards, and negatives relating to the Adjutant General's participation in the erection and preservation of various monuments. The majority of the collection documents the repairs done to the Wisconsin Monument at Vicksburg National Military Park after it was struck by lightning in 1944, which damaged the column and destroyed the sculpture of Old Abe. Included is correspondence with government officials, Wisconsin senators, the National Park Service, and vendors bidding on the repair contract. Particularly interesting are letters written to the Governor of Wisconsin expressing a need to either repair the monument or demolish it and replace it with a memorial plaque. The newspaper articles further document the repair process and also include editorial commentaries. Other records discuss the participation of the Wisconsin National Guard in the centennial reenactment of the 1st Battle of Bull Run, a memorial honoring colonel Hans C. Heg in 1963, an oversized cardboard marker for the 32nd Division Highway, an investigation into the name of the original sculptor of the "Riderless Horse" monument dedicated to the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry at Chickamauga National Battlefield, and a list of Wisconsin soldiers who were buried at Andersonville Prison. The still images include photographs, postcards, and negatives of the various monuments discussed in the manuscripts. Most of the photographs, along with all of the postcards and negatives, were taken by Adjutant General's staff who visited the Vicksburg monument after repairs were completed. Also included is one image of the damaged Vicksburg monument and one taken of a display from J.I. Case Co. that shows the company's Old Abe sculpture that was considered to be the model for the new one to be placed on the Vicksburg Monument. Other monument photographs include images of the Wisconsin Medal of Honor that was displayed at Arlington National Cemetery and a plaque in Puerto Rico dedicated to the 2nd Wisconsin's participation in the Spanish-American War. Two interesting photographs include monuments at the former site of Camp Cable in Australia. One shows a marker dedicated to the memory of members of the 32nd Division; the other showing a marker dedicated to "Vicksburg," the dog mascot of Battery A of the 120th Field Artillery that was killed in 1944. All of the negatives have been identified with photographs in the collection.
