Bronze figure of remembrance: The legacy of the Orange Blossoms

By Aaron Lefkowitz
GOSHEN — During the Civil War, countless local regiments made up of patriotic volunteers wanted to do their part to make the United States whole again. One was 124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, better known as the “Orange Blossoms," which officially mustered on Sept. 5, 1862, by Colonel August Van Horne Ellis. It was made up of Orange County residents with veterans of the 71st New York State Militia. The regiment took part in 43 engagements, including many famous battles, such as Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Appomattox Courthouse, and, of course, Gettysburg, where they squared off against the 1st Texas Volunteer Infantry. The Confederates named the 124th “The Red Stringed Devils” because of the red badges they wore on the battlefield. At the end of the war, the regiment was welcomed back as heroes.
Despite their fame, the Orange Blossoms were fading out of living memory by the turn of the century. A notable monument was dedicated in Gettysburg in 1884. And although it was a common pilgrimage destination, it was far from the communities it represented.
"The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane, who lived in Orange County, was published in 1895. It detailed the war with great vigor and reignited public interest in the regiment.
Thomas W. Bradley, U.S. House Representative of New York's 20th District, knew he needed to do something. Bradley had immigrated from England at the age of two and lived in Walden, when he joined the 124th, serving with distinction. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest honor. Now he had the power to really honor his regiment on their own soil.
His answer was to have a large monument to the Orange Blossoms placed where everyone could see it. By 1905, through Bradley’s generosity, as chronicled by the Newburgh Daily Journal, a newspaper of the era, the statue was on its way to Goshen. It was bronze with a granite base, designed by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson and called “The Standard Bearer.” It's not known whether this design was intentionally chosen in reference to Crane’s book, which was about a standard-bearer.
The statue’s main front plaque reads: “ERECTED BY HON. THOMAS M. BRADLEY, M.C. IN MEMORY OF HIS COMRADES OF THE 124 NEW YORK INFANTRY WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY.”
Its other four plaques, located on the bottom of the base, list all 248 local men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The statue was dedicated on Sept. 5, 1907, exactly 45 years after the regiment was mustered. Its dedication was attended by many veterans of the unit and prominent local figures. Bradley died in 1920, and bequeathed $2,000, the modern-day equivalent of $25,000, “for the perpetual care, preservation and maintenance,” into a trust. Even in death, he would be watching over the statue dedicated to his fallen comrades.
A noble standard bearerThe last few years has brought a great debate about Confederate statues built decades after the Civil War ended. Many critics see these statues not as memorials but as symbols of the darker ideologies of the Confederacy. The Orange Blossoms statue, by contrast, is dedicated to the victorious Union and the men who fought and died to preserve it.
Another controversy that surrounds even monuments in the north is their advancement of militaristic ideologies without reckoning with the cost and hardship of war. The Orange Blossoms' standard bearer carries no rifle, and his saber is sheathed. He nobly carries the flag of the nation as he marches into battle. The Newburgh Daily Journal reported that even before the statue was dedicated, it was a “Monument to Service Dead,” listing the names of those who did not return. But, as time went on and all of the Orange Blossoms faded, the monument became a memorial to everyone who answered the call and refused to allow the nation to perish. The monument is not to glory but to memory, and to each new generation.
The statue means so much to local people. Joseph Geidel, assistant to the Orange County Historian, Johanna Yaun, said, “I’m glad that Orange County continues to recognize and honor our role in the Civil War."
James Meaney, a 124th Infantry re-enactor, said about the unit, “They represent a time when individuals recognized the needs of their government was more important than individual desires.”
The men who fought under the Union banner were not just good Americans, they were citizens of the very communities we live in today. Sacrifice, service, and patriotism are the pillars this nation was founded on, still holds sacred today. As the regiment’s name implies, no one was drafted. They all chose to enlist, knowing full well the dangers.
A special thank you to several people who assisted in the research as well as references for this article, Johanna Yaun, Nicole Nazzaro, Joseph Geidel, James Meaney, and Clifton Patrick. Their help was immense.