Abraham Lincoln Statue in Edinburgh
While in Edinburgh last Friday I spent a little time visiting the Old Calton Cemetery where several notable people from Edinburgh are buried (more on this in tomorrow's blog). Walking up the steps from Leith Walk, my attention was immediately drawn to a statue of Abraham Lincoln. On investigation this statue was mounted on top of a monument to the Scottish American soldiers who fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The Scottish–American Soldiers Monument depicts a standing figure of Abraham Lincoln, with a freed slave giving thanks at his feet. A bronze shield bears the old US flag, and is wreathed in thistles to the left, and cotton to the right. Two regimental flags lie furled, the battle being over. The black man holds a book, indicating that he is not only free, he is also now educated. This was the first statue to an American President in any country outwith the USA. It is the only statue of Lincoln in Scotland, and the only monument to the ...