Designed by sculptor Randolph Rogers, it consists of a tapering granite Corinthian column crowned by a bronze goddess of Victory, a three-tiered granite pedestal adorned with bronze plaques, buttresses surmounted by four bronze statues representing branches of the military – Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Navy – with the whole resting upon a rough granite base flanked by four buried cannons barrels.

The middle tier features relief busts of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew, a battle scene of a dying soldier supported by a comrade, and the monument's dedication plaque.

The bottom tier features four inscription plaques listing the names of the 398 Worcester soldiers who died in the war.

In 1871, the Soldiers' Monument Committee commissioned Rogers to design the memorial.

The ground level was raised in 1969, burying the rough-granite base, so the monument is now approximately 4 ft 0 in (1.22 m) shorter.