In 1896, the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic began a project to bring trees from Civil War Battlefields to Capitol Park in Sacramento as a memorial to the men who fought to save the Union. On May 1, 1897, a great dedication ceremony was held as 40 battlefield trees were planted amid great fanfare. Today, only a few of the original trees remain. This is the story of this unique Civil War Memorial--as it was and as it is today.