General Morgan Monument, (sculpture).

General Morgan Monument, (sculpture).

Highbarger, Sam, sculptor.

General Morgan Monument, (sculpture).

Late 1920s. Dedicated May 10, 1931.

Digital Reference:

Tennessee marble.

Approx. 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 18 in. (3 tons).

(On front of monument:) GENERAL/JOHN H. MORGAN/1825-1864/THE THUNDERBOLT OF THE/CONFEDERACY/FIRST LIEUTENANT, MARSHAL'S REGIMENT/OF CAVALRY IN THE MEXICAN WAR/CAPTAIN THE "LEXINGTON RIFLES" 1857/CAPTAIN COMPANY A OF THE KENTUCKY/CAVALRY 1861/COLONELL 2ND KENTUCKY CAVALRY 1862 BRIGADIER GENERAL APPOINTED FROM/TENNESSEE DECEMBER 11 1862./HIS COMMAND, NEVER EXCEEDING 4000/MEN, WAS COMPOSED LARGELY OF KEN/TUCKIANS AND TENNESSEANS. IT WAS/RENOWNED FOR BOLDNESS AND CELERITY/ON RAID CARRYING TERROR INTO THE RE/GION NORTH OF THE OHIO./THE "GREAT RAIDER" WAS SURPRISED AT/NIGHT AND KILLED BY A DETACHMENT OF/THE COMMAND OF GEN. A. C. GILLEM ON/THE PREMISES OF THE WILLIAMS HOME/NEAR THIS SPOT SEPTEMBER 4 1864/HIS HEROISM IS THE HERITAGE OF/THE SOUTH unsigned

A monument made from Tennessee marble, rose speckled in color. The monument is rectangular with an irregular edge at the top which comes to a point. The monument is an homage to General John Hunt Morgan, nicknamed "The Thunderbolt of the Confederacy."

Homage -- Morgan, John Hunt

Occupation -- Military -- General

History -- United States -- Civil War

Outdoor Sculpture -- Tennessee -- Greeneville

Administered by Greene County, Greene County Commission, Greene County Courthouse, Greeneville, Tennessee 37743

Located Greene County Courthouse, Lawn, Greeneville, Tennessee 37743

The monument was dedicated by the Tennessee division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The marble was a gift from the Gray Eagle Marble Company of Knoxville. The inscription on the monument was written by Judge Samuel Cole Williams of Johnson City, Tennessee. IAS files contain an excerpt titled "The Morgan Monument Mystery" by Alex Jones, published in the Greeneville Sun. The article discusses the secret installation of the sculpture. IAS files also contain an article from the Johnson City Chronicle, May 9, 1931, pg. 3 and two dedication notices, one from the Johnson City Chronicle, May 10, 1931, pg. 6 and one from the Knoxville News Sentinel, May 11, 1931, pg. 7. IAS image files contain a photograph of the Greene County Courthouse with the "General Morgan Monument" on the right and the "Monument to the Union Soldier" (TN000317) on the left.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Tennessee survey, 1992.

Inventory Staff, 2011.

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

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