 The memorial was formally dedicated on October 19 , 1927 , becoming one of the last Civil War monuments erected in Washington , D.C. By the time of the dedication , many of the GAR and Society of the Army of the Potomac members who championed the memorial had died and only a few Civil War veterans were able to attend the ceremony . Prominent attendees at the ceremony included President Calvin Coolidge , his wife , Grace , Pennsylvania Governor John <unk> Fisher , Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur , Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon , Secretary of Labor James J. Davis , and Senator Simeon D. Fess , the acting chairman of the memorial commission . White , temporary pavilions adorned with greenery , national shields , and the coat of arms of Pennsylvania were built around the memorial for invited guests and members of the public . The speaker 's stand was decorated with palms , ferns , and autumn @-@ colored flowers . On either side of the memorial was the national flag ; the left flag from the Civil War era had 35 stars and the right flag was the current 48 @-@ starred flag . 
