Giving heroes their due

The statue is one of countless memorials to those who fought in the Civil War placed in town greens, city squares, and quiet cemeteries across the region. From Westford to Topsfield, Ipswich to Melrose, memorials commemorate those who left family and farm to answer President Abraham Lincoln’s call for a volunteer army to preserve the union.

In a land steeped in Revolutionary War history, the local tributes to the Civil War create a public memory of the epic showdown that started 150 years ago, when the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., on April 12, 1861.

“They help tell the story of the role these communities played in the war,’’ noted Bethany Jay, assistant professor of history at Salem State University. “These [memorials] commemorate the local participation and sacrifice. The sentiment expressed on these [memorials] is the preservation of the Union.’’

The Civil War claimed more than 600,000 lives, including 13,942 from Massachusetts, according to US Defense Department data. After the war, women’s organizations decorated graves of the fallen on what was first known as Decoration Day. It was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1868, a national holiday to honor all who perished in service to the nation.

“People forget that Memorial Day started after the Civil War,’’ said Kevin Jarvis, the veterans agent in Malden, where the “Flag Defenders’’ sculpture in Bell Rock Park pays homage to the city’s Civil War veterans, including four Medal of Honor recipients. “On this day, we have so much respect to pay to them.’’

On Main Street in Melrose, the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building is a civic gathering spot. West Newbury’s public library is officially known as the Grand Army of the Republic Library, a tribute to Civil War veterans. Lynn and Marblehead are home to GAR museums.