ost people pass right by war memorials, but Martha's Vineyard's Civil War memorial is worth another look, given that it has one of the oddest histories you've ever (and until now, likely never) heard. That's because this tribute to the island's Union soldiers was, ironically, the gift of a Confederate, Charles Strahan, a southern newspaper editor who hoped to foster reconciliation. It shows a Union fighter, with “U.S.” stamped on his kit and carries the inscription: "Erected in honor of the Grand Army of the Republic by Charles Strahan, Co B 21 Virginia Reg." The statue, which is made of zinc, was at one point painted gray in deference to Strahan, who settled on the Vineyard after the war. But in 2001 it was restored in its original color.