Civil War Soldier Statue a Simple Memorial, a Sign of Peace

My father told me that the Civil War soldier statues of the two sides, as a sign of peace, face away from each other -- those of the Union facing north, and those of the Confederacy facing south. Before us was a fine example -- the stone soldier on the square in Bedford, Ohio. It shuns main street, the old town hall, and the old train station, where Abraham Lincoln, on his way to D.C., once spoke -- and faces the northern-most side, which seems to hold no special feature. Knowledge of this protocol strengthened my belief that the country was being run by reasonable adults.