Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams, (sculpture).

Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams, (sculpture).

Shrady, Henry Merwin, 1871-1922, sculptor.

Chitenden, Alpheus, architect.

Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams, (sculpture).

General Alpheus Starkey Williams, (sculpture).

Dedicated Oct. 15, 1921.

Digital Reference:

Equestrian figure: bronze; Base: granite.

Equestrian figure: approx. 15 x 5 x 15 ft.; Base: approx. 12 x 10 x 20 ft.

(On front of base, incised:) MAJOR GENERAL/ALPHEUS STARKEY WILLIAMS/1810-1878 (Inscribed on proper right side of base) (On proper left side of base, incised:) THE MICHIGAN COMMANDERY OF THE/MILITARY ORDER OF THE/LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES/AND CITIZENS OF DETROIT/HAVE ERECTED THIS TRIBUTE/TO THE VALOR AND ABILITIES OF/ALPHEUS S. WILLIAMS LIEUT-COLONEL/FIRST MICHIGAN INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS/IN THE WAR WITH MEXICO/BRIG-GENERAL AND BREVET MAJ-GENERAL/UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS/IN THE CIVIL WAR unsigned

A portrait of Alpheus Williams mounted on his horse with his head lowered to study a map of a battlefield during a storm. The horse has all four feet on the ground and his head is lowered.

Portrait male -- Williams, Alpheus Starkey -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Major General

Object -- Written Matter -- Map

Dress -- Accessory -- Hat

Outdoor Sculpture -- Michigan -- Detroit

Belle Isle, Central & Inselruhe Avenues, Detroit, Michigan

Williams also served as a Detroit lawyer, judge, publisher, postmaster, and congressman. On April 17, 1911, th Loyal Legions and other concerned citizens formed an association to erect an equestrian statue of General Williams who had served in both the Mexian and Civil Wars, and he was the only Michigan officer to command an armed corps during the War of the Rebellion. On April 19, 1912 a fund of $30,000 was set up and Shrady was commissioned. In 1915 a miniature copy of the sculpture was on display in the Arts Museum. The City of Detroit appropriated another $25,000 for the construction, foundation, and pedestal. Although the project was delayed due to shortages caused by WWI, union strikes, and Shrady's failing health, the memorial was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1921. For additional information see: Dennis Nawrocki, "Art in Detroit Public Places, Revised Edition," Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1999.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Michigan survey, 1993.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MI0028, 1989.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Nawrocki, Dennis Alan, "Art in Detroit Public Places," Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1980, pg. 78.

Monumental News (March 1913): pg. 216.

Detroit Historical Museum, City of Detroit Monuments, 2004.

Nawrocki, Dennis Alan, "Art in Detroit Public Places," Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1980, pg. 79.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System