Confederate Monuments

chubachus · Mar 22, 2018

Great project! I love modern tintypes. Are the sizes full-plate?

larreynaga · Mar 22, 2018

chubachus said:
Great project! I love modern tintypes. Are the sizes full-plate?

Yes. Whole plate, 6.5 x 8.5

ikesdad · Mar 22, 2018

James N. said:
The absolute worst example of this I ever saw was indeed in Monterrey, Virginia near the border with West Virginia:

Supposedly the Italian marble company that supplied this was told he should be armed with an Enfield - and so he is!

And I thought a Trapdoor was way off. Yep, it's an Enfield. No wonder the Enfield was the preferred Southern weapon. I reckon the saying about one Southerner can whip 12 Yankees was true.

larreynaga · Mar 23, 2018

Confederate Monument, Anderson, Texas. Here is the accompanying text on the explanatory plaque posed near the monument

THIS STATUE

This statue is a reminder of the hardships and suffering endured by Southern men who in 1861-1865 answered their states' calls, marched to distant fields, endured deprivation, fought against overwhelming odds, winning the admiration of the world for valor, determination, and sacrifice.

The Confederate soldier who gave everything defending his home and fledgling nation was not the rich landowner of fiction and film. They came from every walk of life and was self-reliant and independent. As soldiers they developed an unusual loyalty to cause and comrades. Most were devout Christians.

Exposure and lack of food make them more susceptible to disease. Meat was scarce; fruits and vegetables were had only in season. Beans, and peas, along with hardtack and cornbread were mainstays of their diet. They were equipped and paid infrequently. They wore coarse homespun jackets and trousers made by their mothers, wives, and sisters. Clothes were patched and re-patched. When shoes wore out they marched and fought barefoot: blood from bleeding feet marked the line of march over frozen ground. They were soldiers! When an observer noted the tattered clothing on the backs of his Texas troops, General Robert E. Lee responded "Their ragged clothes make no difference. The enemy never sees their backs".

One in four of these brave men died from wounds or disease. Medicines were scarce. Much of the time nothing was available to relieve the suffering from wounds and amputations.

When it was over, tattered and starved, they walked home. Some died by the side of the road and are buried in unmarked graves.

These soldiers fought for the constitutionally guaranteed rights of each state to self-government. This statue was erected in April 2001 in honor of these brave men – the soldiers of the Confederacy.

larreynaga · Mar 24, 2018

Parade Rest in Four Mississippi towns

NH Civil War Gal · Mar 24, 2018

Interesting position of the rifle in the Natchez, MS one. I don't believe I've ever seen a statue with the rifle turned down. Any reason for that?

Ole Miss · Mar 25, 2018

You should visit Oxford while in Mississippi as we have two Confederate Soldier statues. One on the square the other on the campus of the University of Mississippi and might as well visit the Confederate cemetery while here.

I would also suggest if possible you might want to visit Shiloh National Military Park and view the Confederate Monument erected at the direction of the UDC. It is unmatched in majesty and beauty in my humble opinion.
Regards
David

James N. · Mar 26, 2018

NH Civil War Gal said:
Interesting position of the rifle in the Natchez, MS one. I don't believe I've ever seen a statue with the rifle turned down. Any reason for that?

This is a common pose (though I forget the official name for it) - I think it's the halted equivalent of reverse arms in marching which was used for funerals among other purposes. The idea here is that the soldier represented is mourning for his lost comrades; note his head is also bowed.

James N. · Mar 26, 2018

larreynaga said:
Parade Rest in Four Mississippi towns ...

Although these are all very nice; still, it annoys me that the sculptors of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries couldn't bother to find out exactly how an actual Confederate (or Union, in the case of their monuments for that matter) soldier was uniformed, armed, and equipped. I've already posted the ridiculous statue at Monterrey, Va. which errs in practically every respect, not only the Enfield. Compare those with the much more recent one above which looks to me to be correct in every respect:

dlavin · Mar 31, 2018

The Talbot Boys from Talbot County, Md. statue located at the Talbot County courthouse, Easton Md. Taken today while my kids ran on the grounds for an Easter egg hunt of all things.

Viper21 · Apr 4, 2018

James N. said:
Although these are all very nice; still, it annoys me that the sculptors of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries couldn't bother to find out exactly how an actual Confederate (or Union, in the case of their monuments for that matter) soldier was uniformed, armed, and equipped. I've already posted the ridiculous statue at Monterrey, Va. which errs in practically every respect, not only the Enfield. Compare those with the much more recent one above which looks to me to be correct in every respect:

The Monument that I showed in Bath County: The Bath County monument honoring the Confederate soldiers of the county was erected by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1922. It is said that when the monument was first unveiled, it proved to be a "yankee" soldier. The ladies of the UDC promptly returned the monument and had it replaced with a suitable "Rebel" soldier.

That is from a brochure I got at the Bath County Historical Society.