Confederate Memorial, (sculpture).

Confederate Memorial, (sculpture).

Tynan, Francis T., sculptor.

Cassell, Charles E., architect.

Unknown (Connecticut), founder.

Confederate Memorial, (sculpture).

Cornerstone laid Dec. 14, 1876. Capstone laid June 15, 1881. Monument dedicated June 15, 1893.

Figures: cast white metal; Obelisk and base: North Carolina granite.

Overall: approx. H. 55 ft. 6 in.

(Front:) To Our/Confederate/Dead (On top front of obelisk:) 1861-1865 (On top back of obelisk base:) 1863 (On top side of obelisk:) 1862 (On other top side of obelisk:) 1864 (Marble tablet on north side:) This tablet/is placed by/Stone Wall Camp C (inscription illegible)/In Memory of/May. F.W. JETT. C.S.A./To whose labor and devotion/the creation of this monument/is principally due-- unsigned

A tall obelisk resting on a rusticated stone base, with four Confederate figures representing the four branches of military service, Cavalry, Artillery, Navy, and Infantry. The Infantry figure is in front, at parade rest, leaning on his rifle. At his proper left side are a canteen and bayonet and on his proper right is a cartridge belt. He has a backpack and a bedroll. The Cavalryman to the proper right is leaning on his sword, point down. On his proper left side, he carries a canteen. The Artilleryman figure in the rear leans on a cannon swab. On his proper left side, he carries a canteen. The Navy figure stands, and on his proper right he carries a short sword. A tin box in the cornerstone contains an account of the Battle of Gettysburg, a Confederate battle flag. currency, bonds, postage stamps, a company payroll book, and a list of the officers and men of Grimes Battery.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Portrait male -- Wonycott, Frank, -- Full length

Portrait male -- Hope, Shirley, -- Full length

Portrait male -- Nicholson, James W. -- Full length

Portrait male -- Buchanan, William Henry -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Virginia -- Portsmouth

Administered by Sons of Confederate Veterans,

Located Corner of High & Court Streets, Portsmouth, Virginia

Cost for the monument was $11,763, with $2,500 of that for the figures. Funding was raised by public subscription and social affairs organized by the Ladies Memorial Aid Association. Generous donations of granite by the Seaboard & Roanoke, and Raleigh and Gaston railroads reduced the cost of the monument. The City Council donated the site for the monument. Francis T. Tynan, a stonecutter and Confederate veteran who was a past commander of Stonewall Camp, traveled to the North Carolina quarries to cut the stone. He created the five-pointed star cut into the shaft.

The four figures around the base were created by a company in Connecticut from photographs of four men taken at Davis Photography Studio. Frank Wonycott posed as the Cavalryman; Shirley Hope as the Artilleryman; James W. Nicholson may be the model for the Sailor; and, William Henry Buchanan (a veteran of Grimes Battery and a grand-nephew of President James Buchanan) may have posed for the Infantryman. The monument was originally owned by the Stonewall Camp No. 758, United Confederate Veterans, of Portsmouth. In 1964, vandals stole the saber from the Cavalryman's hands. It was replaced in 1991, by the Sons of Veterans and the Portsmouth Area Civil War Roundtable. IAS files contain a related article from the Virginian-Pilot, March 21, 1927; and excerpt from "Sketch Book of Portsmouth, VA," pg. 194-195. IAS files contain a related clipping from The Currents (Virginia), Nov. 11, 1984, pg. 6, which includes a picture of Cavalryman model Frank Wonycott; and May 23/24, 1991, pg. 5, which discusses the vandalism of the Cavalryman's saber and its replacement. IAS files also contain portions of the commemorative program by Jerry L. Russel, June 19, 1993.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Virginia survey, 1995.

Inventory staff, 2001.

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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