Confederate Private Monument
For the statue of Sam Davis also dedicated in 1909 in Nashville, see Sam Davis Statue.
| Confederate Private Monument | |
|---|---|
  Confederate Private Monument  Confederate Private Monument | |
| Artist | George Julian Zolnay |
| Year | 1909 |
| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| 36°8′52.37″N 86°48′45.39″W / 36.1478806°N 86.8126083°WCoordinates: 36°8′52.37″N 86°48′45.39″W / 36.1478806°N 86.8126083°W | |
The Confederate Private Monument is a bronze sculpture of a private of the Confederate States Army in Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Designed by George Julian Zolnay, it was commissioned by the Frank Cheatham Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans in 1903, laid with Masonic honors in 1907, and dedicated in 1909.
History
The idea of the monument was suggested by Theodore Cooley, a member of the Frank Cheatham Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans, in 1902.[1] By 1903, he assembled a group of Confederate veterans to work on the project, and they hired sculptor George Julian Zolnay, who had designed many other Confederate sculptures, to do it.[1][2] When Cooley died, Major B. M. Hord became the chairman of the committee.[1]
The monument cost $4,000 to build.[1] Zolnay donated $500; the Frank Cheatham Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans raised $1000, the United Daughters of the Confederacy raised more than $1,000, and the rest was covered by smaller donors.[1][3] By 1907, the cornerstone was "laid with Masonic honors by the Grand Lodge of the State."[1] The monument also includes a plaque with the names of 540 members of the Frank Cheatham Bivouac.[3]
The monument was dedicated in Centennial Park on June 19, 1909.[2][4] Zolnay gave a speech in front of the crowd highlighting that his wife was a Southerner, and Judge S. F. Wilson gave another speech about the fighting spirit of the private soldier in the CSA.[1] It was "unveiled in the presence of an immense crowd of people,"[4] to the sound of "Dixie".[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "TRIBUTE PAID RANK AND FILE". The Tennessean. June 20, 1909. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. (Registration required (help)).
- 1 2 "Confederate Private Monument, (sculpture)". The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- 1 2 Losson, Christopher (1989). Tennessee's Forgotten Warriors: Frank Cheatham and His Confederate Division. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. p. 286. ISBN 9780870496158. OCLC 19742044.
- 1 2 "Confederate Privates' Monument". The Houston Post. June 20, 1909. p. 2. Retrieved September 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. (Registration required (help)).