"The Lookout," Johnson's Island Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Erie County, Ohio

"The Lookout" Statue
Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Johnson's Island, Sandusky, Erie County, OH
Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Johnson's Island, Sandusky, Erie County, OH

Dublin Core

Title

"The Lookout," Johnson's Island Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Erie County, Ohio

Description

An iron gate with the words Confederate Soldiers at the top is the entrance to a once Prisoner of War Camp turned cemetery. The Federal Government during the Civil War turned Johnson's Island into a prisoner of war camp, which held thousands of prisoners from 1862 to 1865. Many prisoners passed away due to disease, starvation and maltreatment. Beyond the entrance stands a strong 19 feet tall bronze confederate soldier. The sculptor is titled “The Lookout”, the soldier is gripping his rifle, his other hand up to his forehead over his eyes gazing over the hundreds of confederate soldiers' graves in the cemetery. The sculptor is a representation of how many southern generations watched over and memorializing the lives lost during the civil war. On the base of the statue, the year 1910 is proudly displayed for the date of erection in the cemetery, inscribed on the base of the statue reads

     “Erected by The Robert Patton Chapter of the United Daughter of the Confederacy of Cincinnati Ohio. In Memory of the Southern Soldiers who died in the Federal Prison on this Island during the war between the States. Dead but Sceptered Sovereigns who still rule us from the dust.”

More on Artist/Funder/Owner:

Moses Jacob Ezekiel was an American born Jewish artist, confederate supporter. He was a proud southerner and contributed/sculpted many works to the Confederate soldiers, contributing to the Lost Cause movement. The Lookout statue is one of his lesser known works.  The United Daughter of Confederacy Robert Patton Chapter raised funds by the leadership of Mary Patton Hudson for the sculptor. Her chapter had bought the cemetery from private owners. Once the cemetery became in her possession, she took the responsibility to maintain the cemetery until her death in 1920.

The cemetery is now donated to the United State government. The Lookout Sculptor and cemetery is part of the National Historic Sites and Park.

The Lookout is still standing in the cemetery to this day.

Creator

Moses Ezekiel, Sculptor
Robert Patton Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), Funder/Sponsor
National Historic Sites and Park US Gov, Owner

Source

  1. Confederate Stockade Cemetery: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/lots/confederate_stockade.asp; https://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/InterpretiveSigns/ConfederateStockadeCemetery.pdf 
  2. Historic American Landscapes Survey, Creator. Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Johnson's Island, Sandusky, Erie County, OH. Ohio Sandusky Erie County, 2000. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/oh1931/ 
  3. Confederate Stockade Cemetery Johnson's Island Ohio National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/ohio/confederate_stockade_cemetery.html

Date

June 8, 1910 to PRESENT

Contributor

Melinda Alviso (2020), Kayla Cortez (2021)

Language

English

Type

Bronze Statue

Identifier

HIST 402A (Fall 2020, 2021)

Coverage

Sandusky, Johnson's Island, Ohio

Geolocation