Dublin Core
Title
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park
Description
The Confederacy lost the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, after a disastrous charge on the third day of fighting. The battle ended Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the North, and ensured that his army could not take the offensive for the rest of the war.
The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument is a memorial dedicated on August 25, 1965, to commemorate the troops involved in the Battle of Gettysburg. Located on South Confederate Avenue in Gettysburg National Military Park, it was designed by architect Henry Dacy and sculpted by Donald DeLue. It stands about 19 feet tall and portrays a color bearer with one hand carrying the flag and the other used to motion his comrades to follow. The soldier is placed on a pillar with an inscription of the states that joined the Confederacy and text honoring those who lost their lives. What is peculiar about the monument is that despite its name, no sailors participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. However, sailors on both sides did participate in naval clashes off the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts throughout the war.
The statue is modeled after a soldier is named Walter Washington Williams. He was recognized by the U.S. government as the last surviving Confederate veteran, dying at the age of 117 in 1959. However, this claim has been contested as it is unclear whether he was actually 117 years old when he died or if he even served in the Civil War. Around the time of the Civil War Centennial in the 1960s, many stories arose where men who had claimed to be survivors were discovered to be imposters who had backdated their birthdates in order to obtain prestige and receive Civil War pensions during the Great Depression. According to some park officials, the actual last survivor was John B. Salling, who died at the age of 112 in the same year, though skeptics also challenge his claim.
In the summer of 2020, the monument faced renewed public scrutiny following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. In response to the resulting protests, the National Park Service reexamined the role of Confederate monuments at Gettysburg and other battlefield sites. In August 2020, the National Park Service announced it would add contextual plaques to each of the twelve Confederate monuments in Gettysburg National Military Park in the coming months.
The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument is a memorial dedicated on August 25, 1965, to commemorate the troops involved in the Battle of Gettysburg. Located on South Confederate Avenue in Gettysburg National Military Park, it was designed by architect Henry Dacy and sculpted by Donald DeLue. It stands about 19 feet tall and portrays a color bearer with one hand carrying the flag and the other used to motion his comrades to follow. The soldier is placed on a pillar with an inscription of the states that joined the Confederacy and text honoring those who lost their lives. What is peculiar about the monument is that despite its name, no sailors participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. However, sailors on both sides did participate in naval clashes off the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts throughout the war.
The statue is modeled after a soldier is named Walter Washington Williams. He was recognized by the U.S. government as the last surviving Confederate veteran, dying at the age of 117 in 1959. However, this claim has been contested as it is unclear whether he was actually 117 years old when he died or if he even served in the Civil War. Around the time of the Civil War Centennial in the 1960s, many stories arose where men who had claimed to be survivors were discovered to be imposters who had backdated their birthdates in order to obtain prestige and receive Civil War pensions during the Great Depression. According to some park officials, the actual last survivor was John B. Salling, who died at the age of 112 in the same year, though skeptics also challenge his claim.
In the summer of 2020, the monument faced renewed public scrutiny following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. In response to the resulting protests, the National Park Service reexamined the role of Confederate monuments at Gettysburg and other battlefield sites. In August 2020, the National Park Service announced it would add contextual plaques to each of the twelve Confederate monuments in Gettysburg National Military Park in the coming months.
Creator
De Lue, Donald, sculptor; Deacy, William Henry, architect; Fond. Art V. Lera, founder
Source
Hawks, Steve A. “Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Gettysburg,” April 29, 2020. https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/confederate-monuments/confederate-soldiers-and-sailors/.
Serrano, Richard A. “The Last Civil War Veterans Who Lived to Be Over 100... Or Did They?” Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution, November 6, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-last-civil-war-veterans-who-lived-to-be-over-100-or-did-they-180947577/.
“Search For Sailors.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors.htm.
Heard, Alex. "The Problem of Confederate Statues on U.S. Public Lands," Outside Magazine. September 28, 2020. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/confederate-monuments-public-lands/.
Date
1965
Contributor
Art Hernandez, Michael Danciu
Language
English
Type
Bronze sculpture; granite base
Identifier
HIST402A Fall 2020
Coverage
S Confederate Ave, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Gettysburg Military National Park
Gettysburg Military National Park