Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Missouri Monument







The Missouri State Memorial is located just south of the Stockade Redan on Confederate Avenue, tour stop 10, at milepost 10.9 of the park tour road. It is unique as the only state memorial on the battlefield dedicated to soldiers of both armies. The height is symbolic of the forty-two Missouri units, 27 Union, 15 Confederate. It stands where two opposing Missouri regiments clashed in battle.

The monument features a bronze angel which represents "The Spirit of the Republic." The sculptor was Victor S. Holm. The memorial was erected at a cost of $40,000 and dedicated on October 17, 1917.

The above information comes from the park's web site. It is such a beautiful work of art. Mr. Holm did a wonderful job capturing the men's faces on the reliefs of the monument. The most poignant to me is the top photo. I don't know if the man is wounded or not, but to me it looks like he has just about had as much of the war as he can take.

I implore you to ride through the park this weekend. It's the biggest art museum in the region. And do me a favor: don't just look at the monuments, get up close and see them!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this beautiful post, Marty. It just strengthens my resolve to return to Vicksburg. It's been over 40 years since I was last there.

    Pat@Back Porch Musings (Missouri)

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