77th Statue to be re-installed on November 16th, Time: TBA

​We have been informed by the City of Saratoga Springs that the 77th NY Volunteer Statue will be re-installed on November 16th in which you are invited to see happen, a time will be announced as soon as it is made available and will be posted here in the very near future as a future update.  At this time there is no ceremony or dedication planned. 
Please see the full press release herein from the City of Saratoga Springs DPW:
NY 77th Infantry Regiment Monument to be Re-installed November 16th 
Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco announced today that the NY 77th Regiment Monument will be re-installed in Congress Park on November 16, 2021. The statue was damaged by vandalism in July of 2020 and required extensive repairs, no arrests were made in connection with the damage.
“The repaired, original statue, will be installed back onto the granite base in Congress Park on November 16,” said Scirocco. “While the statue was repaired and returned a few months ago, coordinating the company to come back and install it, making landscaping improvements, and ensuring new security systems were installed in the park were a priority prior to installation.”
The vandalism resulted in sections of the statue breaking apart and small parts of the statue, such as the hand, being broken into pieces. Immediately following the vandalism, DPW worked to identify a vendor with experience repairing or restoring zinc statues and learned that Evergreene Architectural Artists, located in Maryland, had repaired identical soldiers as the City’s. The entire statue was transported to their conservation studio, where repairs were made, a stainless-steel armature was added, and a new coating was applied. The final aspect of Evergreene’s work is installing the statue back onto its base in Congress park.
Repair costs equaled $58,218 and were covered under the City’s insurance program. Community donations totaling $14,215.90 were also made that were utilized for landscaping and security improvements. These donations were organized by the New York State Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee and the Col. George L. Willard Camp #154, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
“I want to thank everyone who worked diligently to repair this statue and for the community support to ensure it’s return to Congress Park,” said Scirocco.
In 1875 the monument was donated by Veterans of the 77th Regiment at a cost of $3,000. The cast iron and zinc soldier statue was cast from the foundry of J.W. Fiske of New York City, and at the time was a catalog item offered by J.W. Fiske Company.  Accompanying the statue and granite base is a plaque that reads:
“The Seventy-Seventh Regiment, New York Volunteers (Bemis Heights Battalion, Third Brigade, Second Division, Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865). Took part in all campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, also in the Battle of Fort Stevens at Washington, D.C. and in the Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley under Sheridan.”
Thank you again for all of your donations and support! And, we would also like to express our appreciation to the City of Saratoga Springs for spearheading this project.
 
Posted 11/05/21 by Sons Of Union Veterans Of The Civil War
(Article and Photo Courtesy of The City of Saratoga Springs DPW)