The Georgia Volunteer, (sculpture).

The Georgia Volunteer, (sculpture).

Kitson, Theo Alice Ruggles, 1871-1932, sculptor.

Bergen, Cletus, architect.

Gorham Manufacturing Company, founder.

The Georgia Volunteer, (sculpture).

Spanish American Monument, (sculpture).

ca. 1904. Cast 1931. Dedicated June 7, 1931.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: Georgia granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 8 ft. 5 in.

(Plaque on front of base, raised lettering:) TO THOSE/GEORGIANS WHO/VOLUNTEERED AND/SERVED THEIR/COUNTRY IN THE SPANISH AMERICAN/WAR (Plaque on right side of base: Commemoration of service of Stephen N. Harris) (Plaque on left side of base: Commemoration of service of William L. Grayson) unsigned

A full-length figure of a uniformed Spanish-American War soldier, standing holding his rifle horizontally with both hands. His sleeves are rolled up and he wears a floppy hat, an ammunition belt, and pants tucked into his boots. A canteen hangs on the soldier's back on his proper right side and a knapsack is strapped on the proper left side of his back. The sculpture is mounted upon a pyramid-shaped base adorned with a bronze Spanish-American war cross on the back. An iron fence surrounds the sculpture.

History -- United States -- Spanish American War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Savannah

Administered by City of Savannah, Park & Tree Department, P. O. Box 1027, Savannah, Georgia 31402

Located Forsyth Park, Bull Street at Park Avenue, south end of Park extension, Savannah, Georgia 31401

The monument commemorates the Spanish-American War soldiers from Georgia. It was erected by a memorial committee, which was responsible for the $2,000 of the $10,000 raised for the project. Savannah was chosen as the site for the monument because it contributed more Spanish-American War soldiers per capita than any other city in Georgia. The architect for the base was Cletus Bergen of Savannah. The site within the park was chosen because it placed the sculpture between monuments for the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, and those of World War I. The iron fence was placed around the monument in 1932 to protect it from careless park visitors. General William L. Grayson of Savannah was the only southerner who ever served as commander-in-chief of the USWV. IAS files contain: an excerpt from a report for the Savannah Park and Tree Department entitled "The Monuments and Fountains of Savannah" by Dorothy H. Stewart, June 1993, pg. 482-487, which includes a clipping from the Savannah Evening Press, June 8, 1931, that discusses the dedication.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1994.

Savannah Evening Press, June 8, 1931.

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

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