File:Soldiers' Monument, Leicester, New York - 20220904.jpg

English: The Soldiers' Monument in the village of Leicester, New York, as seen on a September 2022 evening. The centerpiece of the village's verdant green, this monumentally-scaled depiction in bronze of a Civil War soldier with musket held butt to the ground stands atop a granite pedestal. The inscription on the base indicates that the statue was "erected in 1910 by the citizens of Leicester in honor of their soldiers who fought for the Union, 1861-1865", and that year indeed is when fundraising for its construction began. However, its dedication was not until September 12, 1911, in ceremonies attended by 4,000 local citizens which included musical performances (namely an overture by the Colony Concert Band and a performance of "America" by a local schoolchildren's chorus), prayers by the pastors of a number of local churches, speeches by former Speaker of the State Assembly James W. Wadsworth, Jr. and Commander Newton N. Cooley of the local G.A.R. post, a parade, and as a grand finale, a miniature air show featuring three flights over the village by a local aviator flying a Curtiss Model D, one of the first such demonstrations in American history.