Equestrian statue of Charles Devens

Last updated

Equestrian statue of Charles Devens
General Charles Devens Statue by Daniel Chester French - 2011-09-25.jpg
Charles Devens statue (2011)
Equestrian statue of Charles Devens
42°16′16″N71°48′00″W / 42.27111°N 71.80000°W / 42.27111; -71.80000
Location Institutional District, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Designer Daniel Chester French
Edward Clark Potter
Robert D. Andrews (pedestal)
Builder Gorham Manufacturing Company
George D. Webb Granite and Construction Co. (pedestal)
Jno. Williams, Inc. (plaque and lettering)
Type Equestrian statue
Material Bronze
Granite (pedestal)
Width9.7 feet (3.0 m)
Height40.8 feet (12.4 m)
Beginning date1902 [1]
Completion date1906 [1]
Dedicated dateJuly 4, 1906
Dedicated to Charles Devens

The equestrian statue of Charles Devens (also known as the Worcester County Devens Memorial Statue) [2] is a public monument in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Located in front of the old Worcester County Courthouse in the Institutional District, the equestrian statue honors Charles Devens, who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later served as United States Attorney General. The statue was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and was dedicated on July 4, 1906.

Contents

History

Background

Charles Devens Hon. Charles Devens of Mass. Atty Gen. Hayes Cabinet.png
Charles Devens

Charles Devens was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States on April 4, 1820. In his youth, he attended the Boston Latin School. He graduated from Harvard College in 1838 and received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Harvard Law School in 1840. [3] He began practicing law in 1841. [4] Devens became involved in politics shortly thereafter, serving as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from Franklin County between 1848 and 1849, [2] and between 1849 and 1853, he served as the United States marshal for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. During the American Civil War, Devens served in the Union Army as the major of a rifle battalion and later as colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. By the end of the war, Devens had reached the rank of general and had been wounded at both the Battle of Fair Oaks and the Battle of Chancellorsville. He resumed his law career following the war and in 1873 became an associate justice for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 1877, he was appointed the United States Attorney General by President Rutherford B. Hayes, a position he would hold until 1881. Devens would later die in Boston on January 7, 1891. [4]

Creation

Efforts towards the erection of a monument honoring Devens began in late 1891 when United States Senator George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts sent requests to many prominent citizens from Worcester with the following letter on November 9: [2]

Dear Sir: You are respectfully invited to attend a meeting to take measures for erecting in Worcester a monument and statue to Gen. Devens to be held at the Worcester Club House on Elm Street, Friday, Nov. 13th, at half-past seven o'clock P. M.

At the meeting, a committee of 35 men was formed for the purposes of raising funds for the monument, and a circular discussing the monument and its projected cost of $15,000 was prepared. [2] However, no further action was taken by the committee, and the project languished for about a decade. The idea for a monument was revived in fall 1901 during a meeting of the veterans' organization for the 15th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. [2] [5] A committee was formed by the organization, and in March 1902, a general committee consisting of many prominent citizens from the area was formed. Notable members included Hoar, Rufus B. Dodge Jr. (mayor of Worcester), Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute), Daniel Merriman (president of the Worcester Art Museum), and multiple members of the veterans' organization, among others. On April 4, 1902, the Massachusetts General Court granted an act of incorporation on the "Worcester County Memorial Devens' Statue Commission". [2]

Following this, the commission began to raise public funds for the monument. The city of Worcester appropriated $7,500, while $5,000 was appropriated by Worcester County, with roughly $4,000 in additional funding appropriated by several other towns in the county. On July 12, 1902, the commission voted to hire the sculptors Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter to design an equestrian statue of Devens, at a cost of no more than $30,000. [2] French and Potter had collaborated on several equestrian statues before this, and as with their previous collaborations, French was responsible for the human part of the statue, while Potter was responsible for the horse. [6] On November 27, 1903, the sculptors submitted a model of the proposed statue, which was accepted by the commission. Additionally, the architect Robert D. Andrews from Boston was hired to design the pedestal for the statue. The George D. Webb Granite and Construction Co. was contracted to create the pedestal, while Jno. Williams, Inc., a foundry in New York City, was responsible for the creation of tablets and letterings that would be fixed to the pedestal. On October 17, 1903, the commission accepted the final design of the statue by French and Potter, and subsequently, the model was sent to the Gorham Manufacturing Company in Providence, Rhode Island for casting. Senator Hoar had managed to get several condemned cannons to be appropriated by the United States Congress to be used in the casting, with a total value of approximately $2,000. [2]

Dedication

Dedication ceremony Dedication of the equestrian statue of Major-General Charles Devens and of the monument to the soldiers of Worcester County in the war for the union, July 4th, 1906 (1907) (14583868379).jpg
Dedication ceremony

In December 1905, work on the monument was nearing completion, and the commission assembled a committee to plan the statue's dedication. The committee petitioned the city council of Worcester for permission to place the monument on public land in front of the Worcester County Court House, which was granted. The unveiling ceremony took place on July 4, 1906 (Independence Day) in front of the courthouse, with approximately 250 militia members and over 1,000 Civil War veterans in attendance. A parade was held, with Massachusetts Governor Curtis Guild Jr. and Worcester mayor John T. Duggan present, during which the state colors of the 15th Regiment, which had been carried during the Battle of Antietam, were carried. Every post of the Grand Army of the Republic was represented in the parade. Seats on the courthouse steps were set up for many of the veterans, while a speaking platform was built at the top of the steps. The parade, which followed mostly along the city's main street, ended around 10 a.m., with the veterans seated by 10:30 a.m. [2]

The statue in front of the courthouse, from the Detroit Publishing Company, c. 1908 Worcester Court House - LOC 4a22712a.jpg
The statue in front of the courthouse, from the Detroit Publishing Company, c. 1908

The speakers assembled at the top of the steps included Governor Guild, Lieutenant Governor Eben Sumner Draper, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and Chief Justice Marcus Perrin Knowlton and associate justice Henry Braley of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, among others. Shortly before 11 a.m., William Franklin Draper (who had become the head of the commission following Hoar's death in 1904) called the ceremony to order, with Merriman (a reverend) giving a prayer. Following the prayer, Governor Guild gave a speech celebrating Devens and highlighting his contributions to the state, which was followed by a speech by William Draper. Afterwards, Charles Devens Osborne, a grandnephew of Devens, officially unveiled the statue. The band played "The Star-Spangled Banner" amidst cheers from the crowd, and afterwards, a member of the county commissioners officially accepted the statue on behalf of the county. Afterwards, William Draper introduced Stewart L. Woodford, a politician and former Union Army officer from New York, as the orator for the ceremony. Following his speech, the band played "America", and after the end of the ceremony, veterans were treated to a luncheon in the city's armory. In total, approximately 10,000 spectators were present for the ceremony. [2]

Recent history

In 1950, during an expansion of the court house building, the statue was moved several feet, [7] and today the statue stands at the intersection of Main Street and Highland Street, still on the court house grounds, [8] overlooking Lincoln Square. [9] In 1994, the monument was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project. [10] In 2015, the old court house, which had been vacant since 2008, [11] was sold to developers with the intent to convert the building to apartments. As part of the sale, agreements were made regarding continued historic preservation of the property by the developers, including for the Devens statue. [12] A 2017 article in the Telegram & Gazette discussing renovations to the building stated that the statue would remain in place in front of the courthouse. [13]

Design

View of the statue showing front and side inscriptions on the pedestal General Charles Devens Statue by Daniel Chester French - DSC05783.jpg
View of the statue showing front and side inscriptions on the pedestal

The monument consists of a bronze equestrian statue of Devens atop a rectangular granite pedestal. [2] Devens is depicted in his Civil War uniform, partially covered by a heavy coat, with his right hand holding the horse's reigns. [10] The statue stands 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, [14] while the pedestal is approximately 15.8 feet (4.8 m) tall. [10] The width of the pedestal is approximately 9.7 feet (3.0 m). [10] A bronze tablet affixed to the rear of the pedestal bears the following inscription: [2]

CHARLES DEVENS / SOLDIER, ORATOR, JURIST / 1820–1891 / MAJOR, THIRD BATTALION MASS. RIFLES / APRIL, 1861 / COLONEL, FIFTEENTH REGIMENT MASS. VOL. INFANTRY / JULY, 1861 / BRIGADIER GENERAL, UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS / 1862 / BREVET MAJOR GENERAL, UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS / 1865 / ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPERIOR COURT OF MASS. / APRIL, 1867 / ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF MASS. / 1873 / ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES / 1877 / ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF MASS. / 1881–1891

The inscription on the front of the pedestal reads: [2]

TO / GENERAL DEVENS / AND THE / MEN OF WORCESTER COUNTY / IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION / 1861–1865

Additionally, the commission specified "[t]hat on the south side of the base the several organizations known as Worcester County Regiments, Battalions and Companies be placed, and on the north side of the base the names of the several cities and towns, with the number of men furnished by each." [2] These organizations, inscribed on the left side of the base, are as follows: [10]

MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS / THE FIFTEENTH TWENTY-FIRST TWENTY-FIFTH / THIRTY-FOURTH THIRTY-SIXTH FIFTY-FIRST / FIFTY THIRD AND FIFTY SEVENTH REGIMENTS / COMPANIES E F AND K IN FORTY SECOND REGIMENT / COMPANIES D E F AND H IN FOURTH REGIMENT / COMPANY F IN FIRST BATTALION HEAVY ARTILLERY / MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEER MILITIA / THIRD BATTALION RIFLES COMPANY B WORCESTER LIGHT / INFANTRY IN SIXTH REGIMENT TENTH UNATTACHED COMPANY.

Analysis

Equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant, an earlier work by French and Potter US Grant French 1.JPG
Equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant, an earlier work by French and Potter

Art historian Michael Richman compared the statue to a similar equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant created several years earlier by French and Potter in Philadelphia, saying it was "reminiscent of the Grant without being imitative." [6] In a 2019 work on Civil War memorials in the United States, Thomas J. Brown stated that "[t]he decision to honor Devens as a military leader typified the recent reconfiguration of American priorities" and that while Devens "failed to achieve much battlefield success", the decision to represent him as a soldier was articulated by Hoar, who said, "whatever may be said by the philosopher, the moralist, or the preacher, the instincts of the greater portion of mankind will lead them to award the highest meed of admiration to the military character." [5] Discussing both the Devens statue and a later equestrian statue French created for William Franklin Draper, Brown argues that "[i]n French's statues of Devens and Draper, the lawyer and the industrialist blended into the army general, celebrating the extraction of obedience through compulsion." [15]

Discussing French's works in a 2019 book, historian Harold Holzer stated that "[b]y the time the Devens statue was dedicated in 1906, the team of French and Potter had clearly established an aesthetically pleasing and financially lucrative formula to portray Civil War 'heroes'," but that French was growing tired of the genre, pointing out that it would be six years before French created another equestrian statue of a Civil War figure. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Clark Potter</span> American sculptor

Edward Clark Potter was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His most famous works are the marble lions, nicknamed Patience and Fortitude, in front of the New York Public Library Main Branch

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Devens</span> American judge (1820–1891)

Charles Devens Jr. was an American lawyer, jurist and statesman. He also served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebenezer R. Hoar</span> American judge (1816–1895)

Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Massachusetts. He served as U.S. Attorney General from 1869 to 1870, and was the first head of the newly created Department of Justice. Hoar assisted President Ulysses S. Grant in appointing two United States Supreme Court justices and was himself nominated to the Court. His nomination was rejected by the United States Senate, in part for his positions on patronage reform. In 1871, Hoar was appointed by Grant to the United States high commission that negotiated the Treaty of Washington between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, helping to settle the Alabama Claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwood Hoar</span> American politician

Rockwood Hoar was a Representative from Massachusetts, the son of Massachusetts US Senator George Frisbie Hoar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spurr House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The John Spurr House is an historic house on Main Street in Charlton, Massachusetts. The house was built in 1798 and added to the National Historic Register in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederate Monument in Owensboro, Ky. (former)</span> United States historic place

The Confederate Monument in Owensboro, Ky., was a 16-foot-tall, two-part object — a 7-foot-tall bronze sculpture atop a 9-foot-tall granite pedestal — located at the southwest corner of the Daviess County Courthouse lawn, at the intersection of Third and Frederica Streets, in Owensboro, Kentucky. Nearly 122 years after the monument was dedicated in September 1900, the monument was dismantled in 2022, beginning with the removal of the sculpture in May 2022; the sculpture was placed in storage, pending a decision on what to do with it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument</span> Statue in Monroe, Michigan, United States

The George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument, also known as Sighting the Enemy, is an equestrian statue of General George Armstrong Custer located in Monroe, Michigan. The statue, sculpted by Edward Clark Potter, was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on June 15, 1992 and soon after listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 9, 1994.

The 1877 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held in January 1877. Incumbent Republican Senator George S. Boutwell, who had won a special election for the remainder of Henry Wilson's term, was defeated by reformist U.S. Representative George Frisbie Hoar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker</span> Equestrian statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

An equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker is installed outside the Massachusetts State House, facing Beacon Street in Boston, in the United States.

<i>The Minute Man</i> 1874 sculpture by Daniel Chester French

The Minute Man is an 1874 sculpture by Daniel Chester French in Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts. It was created between 1871 and 1874 after extensive research, and was originally intended to be made of stone. The medium was switched to bronze and it was cast from ten Civil War-era cannons appropriated by Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public sculptures by Daniel Chester French</span> List of artworks

Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) was an American sculptor who was active in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, to Anne Richardson French and Henry Flagg French on April 20, 1850. His father, a polymath, was a judge and college president who popularized the French drain. In 1867, the family moved to Concord, Massachusetts, and French enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. French did not perform well academically and, after a year, he left the college and returned to Concord where he first learned sculpture while attending art classes with Louisa May Alcott. Between 1869 and 1872, French studied anatomy with William Rimmer, and in 1870 he undertook a one-month apprenticeship with the sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward. After completing The Minute Man in 1875, French studied sculpture in Florence, Italy, for a year, during part of which he worked out of Thomas Ball's studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of George Frisbie Hoar</span> Statue in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.

The George Frisbie Hoar statue is a public monument in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the north side of the Worcester City Hall, the monument honors George Frisbie Hoar, a politician from the city. The monument, which consists of a statue designed by Daniel Chester French, was dedicated in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant</span> Statue in Philadelphia, PA, US

The equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant is a public monument in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in Fairmount Park, the monument honors Ulysses S. Grant, who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later as President of the United States. The monument was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and consists of an equestrian statue atop a pedestal. The statue was dedicated in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John V. Power</span>

The John V. Power statue is a monumental statue in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Dedicated in 1947, the statue honors John V. Power, a Marine from Worcester who was killed in action during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The statue is located near Worcester City Hall and is one of several war memorials in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of William Francis Bartlett</span> Statue in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

A statue of William Francis Bartlett stands inside the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The bronze statue was designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French and honors Bartlett, who had served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The statue was dedicated in 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Putnam Monument</span> Equestrian statue in Brooklyn, Connecticut

The Israel Putnam Monument is an equestrian statue located in Brooklyn, Connecticut, United States. The monument, designed by sculptor Karl Gerhardt, was dedicated in 1888 in honor of Israel Putnam, a Connecticut native who served as a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The monument was created as a response to the deteriorated condition of Putnam's grave in Brooklyn's cemetery, and the state government allocated funds for the monument with the provision that it also serve as a tomb for Putnam. Upon its completion, Putnam's remains were reinterred under the monument. The dedication was held on June 14 in a large ceremony with several guests of honor, including the governors of Connecticut and Rhode Island. The monument was criticized by contemporary reviewers, who especially criticized the horse, with one review noting that it appeared to be suffering from bone spavin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Ambrose Burnside</span> Equestrian statue in Providence, US

Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, also known as the Ambrose Burnside Monument, is a monumental equestrian statue in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The statue, located in the city's Burnside Park, was designed by sculptor Launt Thompson and depicts Ambrose Burnside, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War who later served as the governor of Rhode Island. Ambrose had died in 1881 and the project to erect a statue in his honor began shortly afterwards. It was dedicated on July 4, 1887 in a large ceremony that included several notable guests of honor, such as General William Tecumseh Sherman, Colonel Robert Hale Ives Goddard, and the governors of both Connecticut and Rhode Island. The monument was originally located in Exchange Place, but it was moved to its current location in the early 1900s. As part of the move, the pedestal was replaced with one designed by William R. Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

Worcester County Courthouse is a historic Greek Revival and Classical Revival building at 2 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts in the Lincoln Square district and within the historic Institutional District. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

References

Bibliography