Woman seated to left of stone, head in proper left hand aside stone “In Memory of Adam S. Alt” – soldiers marching away in right background.
Initially, it was anticipated that the Civil War was going to be a quick Union victory with little bloodshed. However, it was soon clear that many battles would be fought and countless lives lost. By the time the war ended in 1865, more than 3 million Union and Confederate soldiers participated in the war. As a result, there were an estimated 620,000 casualties. Memorial prints, such as “The Soldier’s Grave,” were produced for families who lost loved ones in battle. Families could personalize the print by adding the individual’s information to the pictured tombstone. This print was completed for Adam S. Alt, part of the 44th Regiment Co. F, who died on May 23, 1863. Adding to the sentimentality of the image is the crying woman to the left of the gravestone and the weeping willow tree, a Victorian symbol of grief, bordering the top of the composition.