The Civil War Monument in Atkinson, New Hampshire is located at the town common in the center of town, on Rt 121 (Main Street). William Cleaves Todd, a native townsman and former teacher at the Atkinson Academy, gifted the granite memorial to the town in 1890. There used to be small granite pillars with iron railings surrounding it, but those have since been removed, probably when the common was redone (the pillars now mark the outside corners of the property).

On the four sides are inscribed the names of 40 Civil War soldiers who served from this town. With the town record books not having kept an accurate list of those who served, a list of names in the appendix of an 1875 historical speech about the town and Congregational Church (see link below) was used for reference.

Below are the names of the inscribed [additions/corrections in brackets]:

More About (with links):
Morse, Charles Fitch. Historical Discourse: Delivered at Atkinson, N.H., on the Centennial Anniversary of the Congregational Church. Lawrence, MA: Geo. S. Merrill & Crocker, c1875 [Appendix D, pg 36 - google books]
The Derry News, 31 Jan 31 1890 (monument gift, pg 5)
The Derry News, 31 May 1901 (article about monument, pg 2)
"Civil War Soldiers of Atkinson, NH" (Virtual Cemetery on Find a Grave)
Atkinson Cemetery (Flickr photo album w/ Civil War graves)

Over forty New Hampshire men, whether a native son, a resident, or a volunteer accredited to the state, earned a Medal of Honor for their actions during the Civil War [see tab on left for a full listing]. Here is one story:  

GEORGE PARSONS DOW
​Sergeant, Company C, 7th New Hampshire Infantry.
Place/date of action: Near Richmond, Virginia, October 1864
Date of issue: 10 May 1884
Citation: Gallantry while in command of his company during a reconnaissance toward Richmond. 

George P. Dow of Atkinson, N.H. enlisted as a private on 14 Oct 1861, in neighboring Plaistow, NH. He was mustered in on 6 Nov. in Manchester, and was soon promoted to corporal. On the 18th of July, '62, he was again promoted, to 1st Sergeant. He was mustered out of service on 22 Dec 1864. He had been wounded several times during his three years with the regiment, though not injured bad enough to remove him from active duty.

In October of 1864, while in command of his company, which held the extreme left of the regimental line, the unit became separated from the others while on reconnaissance in the vicinity of Richmond. Upon reaching the enemy breastworks they halted, then realizing the rest of the regiment was not behind them, and called a retreat. Being the first of the Union troops to reach that close to the city, the information gathered was of great importance once they returned to their lines.

George P. Dow, the son of Moses and Sally P (Hanson) Dow, was born in Atkinson, NH on 7 Aug 1840. He was married, on 7 Dec 1865, to Julia A. Carlton [registered in Lawrence, MA vr]. He died on 28 Aug 1910 in Atkinson, aged 70 yrs, and was buried in the town cemetery [NH vr]. They had two children: i. Mary A Dow, b. 21 Sept 1866; marr. William C. Farley ii. ch, b/d 24 May 1880
   
George was a farmer in Atkinson, later becoming the proprietor of a country store in town, and was its postmaster for 26 years. His former homestead still stands, across from the town common named for him.

Links:
Deeds of Valor, pg 436-7
History of the Seventh Regiment: pg 96 (photo), pg 530 (bio)
Muster Out Roll for Company C [family search link]

GEORGE LAWRENCE ALMEDER
​died on the 29th of May, 1945, in Georges Mills (Sunapee), New Hampshire. He was the only surviving Civil War veteran in Sullivan County, N.H., and the only surviving naval veteran in the state. The son of Joseph F and Lavina (Banning) Almeder, he was born on Christmas Day, 1848.

The Argus Champion, on Thursday, May 31st, 1945, ran the following obituary for him:

George enlisted at Boston, Massachusetts on 15 Feb 1865, for three years in the navy. He served on the Receiving Ship Ohio, and on the USS Kearsage, as a 1st Class Boy. He was discharged on 13 Jan 1868.

He lived in Boston until his retirement, when he moved to Sunapee (in the Georges Mills village) and resided with his son Charles.

His funeral took place in Everett, MA, where he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Officials from the US Navy and US Coast Guard attended the service, the latter firing off a salute to the former naval veteran.

More about:
Argus Champion, 31 Dec 1936 (George's service details)
Argus Champion (Newport, NH), May 31st, 1945 (pg 1)
Argus Champion, June 7th, 1945, (pg 2)

The MELVIN MEMORIAL is located at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts, a monument created by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon on behalf of James C. Melvin, who lost his three brothers during the Civil War. It was dedicated on 16 June 1909, the date when one of his brothers was killed in battle, and was attended by many survivors of the 1st Mass Heavy Artillery (his brothers' reg't), as well as the local GAR post members.

In memory of three brothers born in Concord
who as private soldiers gave their lives
in the war to save the country
​This memorial is placed here by their surviving
brother, himself a private soldier in the same war
"I with uncovered head
​salute the sacred dead
​who went and who return not"​

members of Company K First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery

Youngest brother James would also enlist, with Co. E, 6th Massachusetts Infantry, serving from 11 July 1864 to 27 Oct 1864. He died in 1915, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, in the plot of his parents. Only one of his 3 brothers, John H., would be returned home to be buried. Samuel lies in Andersonville National Cemetery, while the grave of brother Asa remains unknown. Father Asa Sr had died in 1858, and his wife Caroline died in February of 1863, before any of her children perished in the war.

It was the first weekend of October and, as they have for fifteen years past, the men of Company A, 12th New Hampshire Infantry, gathered in the field behind the Cullimore Farm on New Durham Ridge for a living history Civil War encampment. I joined them again, this my 7th year.

Begun in 2003 as a fundraiser to place a Civil War monument in town [see New Durham Monument page], the money now being raised through the bake sale held by members of the co-hosting New Durham Historical Society during the two-day event goes towards the Civil War Memorial Scholarship Fund [Attn: The 2019 application is up, if you're a graduating New Durham senior and plan on attending college].

In recent years, the group has been portraying a camp of the "Provost Guard", a unit of men detached from the 12th NH to guard the vital railroad station and powder mill in town, as well as arrest any deserters finding their way back home. This camp would have served as the quarters for those members of the unit who were off-duty.

There is more to read about the Provost Guard and the Eureka Powder Works on the 16th Annual Encampment page.

​​While some of the participants have come and gone over the years, and the displays have been changed at times to add variety, the overall outcome of this gathering remains the same: to give the visiting public a chance to see the daily life and routines of a Civil War soldier. It also gives us reenactors the ability to "walk in their shoes" and relive the 1860's, if just for one weekend. For those of us who had ancestors that served, having such an opportunity to spend this time as they may have, is an experience like no other.

See you in October 2019!