During the American Civil War, Devens served in the Union Army as the major of a rifle battalion and later as colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

On April 4, 1902, the Massachusetts General Court granted an act of incorporation on the "Worcester County Memorial Devens' Statue Commission".

On July 12, 1902, the commission voted to hire the sculptors Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter to design an equestrian statue of Devens, at a cost of no more than $30,000.

On October 17, 1903, the commission accepted the final design of the statue by French and Potter, and subsequently, the model was sent to the Gorham Manufacturing Company in Providence, Rhode Island for casting.

Senator Hoar had managed to get several condemned cannons to be appropriated by the United States Congress to be used in the casting, with a total value of approximately $2,000.

The unveiling ceremony took place on July 4, 1906 (Independence Day) in front of the courthouse, with approximately 250 militia members and over 1,000 Civil War veterans in attendance.

The parade, which followed mostly along the city's main street, ended around 10 a.m., with the veterans seated by 10:30 a.m.[2] The speakers assembled at the top of the steps included Governor Guild, Lieutenant Governor Eben Sumner Draper, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and Chief Justice Marcus Perrin Knowlton and associate justice Henry Braley of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, among others.

Shortly before 11 a.m., William Franklin Draper (who had become the head of the commission following Hoar's death in 1904) called the ceremony to order, with Merriman (a reverend) giving a prayer.

As part of the sale, agreements were made regarding continued historic preservation of the property by the developers, including for the Devens statue.

[2] Devens is depicted in his Civil War uniform, partially covered by a heavy coat, with his right hand holding the horse's reigns.

[10] A bronze tablet affixed to the rear of the pedestal bears the following inscription:[2] CHARLES DEVENS / SOLDIER, ORATOR, JURIST / 1820–1891 / MAJOR, THIRD BATTALION MASS.

/ 1881–1891The inscription on the front of the pedestal reads:[2] TO / GENERAL DEVENS / AND THE / MEN OF WORCESTER COUNTY / IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION / 1861–1865Additionally, the commission specified "[t]hat on the south side of the base the several organizations known as Worcester County Regiments, Battalions and Companies be placed, and on the north side of the base the names of the several cities and towns, with the number of men furnished by each.

Brown stated that "[t]he decision to honor Devens as a military leader typified the recent reconfiguration of American priorities" and that while Devens "failed to achieve much battlefield success", the decision to represent him as a soldier was articulated by Hoar, who said, "whatever may be said by the philosopher, the moralist, or the preacher, the instincts of the greater portion of mankind will lead them to award the highest meed of admiration to the military character.