The 1850 monument honors men who died up until 1850 and it lists the battles and the officers who fell.

[2] The 65-foot-tall granite monument, topped by a statue of Victory, was unveiled in 1850.

The monument was erected to stand over the graves of 17 Kentucky soldiers who had fallen at the Battle of Buena Vista.

Their interment in Frankfort Cemetery on July 20, 1847, was marked by a eulogy from John C. Breckinridge, a supporter of the war.

According to a popular story, this mass funeral inspired Mexican-War veteran, Theordore O'Hara, to pen his famed poem, "Bivouac of the Dead".