Soldiers’ Field, Hartford. Photo: Nancy O. Albert, 2003
(c) Connecticut Explored Inc. 2003 Nov/Dec/Jan 2004
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On Armistice Day (November 11) 1926 Soldiers’ Field was dedicated on land set aside from Northwood Cemetery in Hartford’s north end. Almost 5,000 veterans from every military campaign from the Spanish-American War to the Vietnam War, including the Philippine insurrection and the Mexican Border War, are buried there. Over the years Soldiers’ Field fell into decline; society’s attitude and short memory made it a forgotten landmark.
That began to change in 1990. On Memorial Day that year Boy Scout Troop 105 from Hartford rededicated the cemetery. A wreath was laid at the memorial monument and a U.S. flag was placed on the grave of each veteran. Troop 105 has held this ceremony each Memorial Day since then. In 1992 Friends of Hartford Soldiers’ Field was established to help maintain the cemetery. Today Soldiers’ Field is bucolic and peaceful. Walking alongside the rows of white tombstones, one sees the diversity of Hartford’s population, with each tombstone a testament to the military service of the memorialized veteran. Under the midday sun, with a light breeze and the sounds of birds, one can contemplate the cemetery in profound silence and respect.
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