Battle Monument is a large

Tuscan column The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but wit ...

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

located on

Trophy Point Trophy Point is a scenic overlook of the Hudson River Valley located at West Point, New York. It has been the subject of numerous works of art since the early 19th century. Trophy Point is the location of Battle Monument, one of the largest colum ...

at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, designed by

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses ...

.Crackel, p.181.

History

The site for the monument was dedicated on 15 June 1864 by General

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

where he gave a lengthy address and stated that, "The site of the Battle Monument is dedicated in commemoration of the Officers and Privates of the regular Army who have died in the present war". His speech was followed by rapturous applause after concluding it with the official dedication stating, "We now dedicate this site to the memory of brave men, loyalty, patriotism and honor." The monument itself was dedicated on 30 May 1897 by surviving

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

veterans. The monument was financed by monthly contributions from the pay of the officers and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s of the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

. The

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

column, standing tall and in diameter, was quarried from

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Regi ...

, and is reputed to be the largest column of polished granite in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

. Inscribed on bronze straps belting the eight monumental "cannon balls" circling the column are the names of 2,230 Regular Army officers and soldiers who died for the Union during the Civil War. A female statue designed by Frederick MacMonnies sits atop the monument, representing Fame. The statue that now tops the monument is actually the second version of the statue. Just months after it was unveiled, MacMonnies agreed to replace the original statue after complaints that it was too large and awkward. Traditionally, the plebes at West Point made reference to the statue of Fame when giving the following reply to any upperclassman demanding to know "How are they all?": "They are all fickle but one, sir." "Who is the one?" "She who stands atop Battle Monument, for she has been on the same shaft since 1897;" however, this is no longer current practice.

Image gallery

Image:Battle Monument USMA in Winter.JPG, After heavy winter snow Image:Battle Monument Gettysburg Cannon.JPG, The cannons bear the names of major Civil War battles Image:Battle Monument's "Fame" at West Point.JPG, Statue of Fame atop the monument Image:Original_Statue_on_West_Point's_Battle_Monument.jpg, Original statue in 1897 Image:Battle_Monument_(West_Point)_July_2009.JPG, Summer 2009

Sources

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References

External links

Save Outdoor Sculptures!

Photographs and architectural sketches of the Battle Monument
Battle Monument plans on page 76. {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Monument (Usma) 1897 sculptures Bronze sculptures in New York (state) Buildings and structures completed in 1897 Monuments and memorials at West Point Statues in New York (state) 1897 establishments in New York (state)