Crowning East Rock's 366-foot summit, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument of 1887 honors New Haven residents who died in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. From here the monument is visible for miles across the surrounding area and toward Long Island Sound. Completed in 1887, it honors New Haven residents who gave their lives in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War.
The shaft rises 112 feet (34 m) and offers 87 steps to the top. Interest in creating this memorial began as early as 1878, when the New Haven-based Admiral Hull Foote Post of the Grand Army of the Republic began lobbying citizens; a site on the New Haven Green was dedicated in the following year. A committee and funds were formed in an 1882 town meeting, but objections about the high number of GAR members in attendance prompted litigation that stalled the project.
In 1883 the committee advertised a design competition; at least 15 designs were submitted, including one by Alexander Doyle and John M. Moffit after the deadline, and the committee also solicited designs from George Keller and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Notice the 87 steps climbing the 112-foot shaft, a design chosen after competitors including Alexander Doyle, John M. Moffit, George Keller, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens entered the running.