Caspar Buberl (1834 – August 22, 1899) was an American sculptor. He is best known for his
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
monuments, for the
terra cotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
relief panels on the
Garfield Memorial in
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio (depicting the various stages of
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...
's life), and for the -long
frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
on the
Pension Building in Washington, D.C.
Biography
Born in Königsberg,
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
, (now
Kynšperk nad Ohří
Kynšperk nad Ohří (; ) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,500 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Kynšperk nad Ohří consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population accord ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
), as a young man Buberl studied art in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
before immigrating to the United States in 1854 to train under sculptor
Robert Eberhard Launitz.
He married Anna Stubner in 1856, and they had nine children.
In 1882
Montgomery C. Meigs
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and military and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Although a Sou ...
was chosen to design and construct the new Pension Building, now the
National Building Museum
The National Building Museum is a museum of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning in Northwest Washington, D.C., U.S. It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private non-profit institution. Located at ...
, in Washington D. C. and, in doing so, broke away from the established Greco-Roman models that had been the basis of government buildings in Washington up until then, and was to continue to be following the Pension Building's completion. Meigs based his design on
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...
precedents, notably
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
's
Palazzo Farnese
Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French e ...
and Plazzo della Cancelleria.

Included in his design was a -long sculptured frieze executed by Buberl. Since creating a work of sculpture of that size was well out of Meigs' budget, he had Buberl create 28 different scenes [totaling in length), which were then mixed and slightly modified to create the continuous parade that includes over 1,300 individual figures. Because of the way that the 28 sections were modified and intermixed, it is only by somewhat careful examination that the frieze reveals itself to be the same figures repeated some eighteen times. The sculpture includes infantry, navy, artillery, cavalry and medical components as well as a good deal of the logistics, supply and quartermaster functions, since Meigs had overseen the latter two functions during the Civil War.
Meigs insisted that any teamster included in the Quartermaster panel "must be a negro, a plantation slave, freed by war". This figure was ultimately to assume a position in the center, over the west entrance to the building.
Buberl created dozens of Civil War statues and monuments for various cities and states, including several for New York veterans associations to be placed on the
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot & at Knoxlyn Ridge ...
and a bronze bust of President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
, which was recently sold for $5,800.
His impressive New York State Monument crowns
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a landform on the Gettysburg Battlefield that was the scene of fighting each day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863). The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive " fish-hook" line, the hill is gent ...
, and a number of individual memorials for specific regiments dot the battlefield.
He died at his studio in New York City.
[
]
Leading works
Monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield
* 9th New York Cavalry Monument – dedicated July 1, 1888
* 4th New York Independent Battery – dedicated July 2, 1888
* 5th New York Cavalry Monument – dedicated July 3, 1888
* 126th New York Infantry – dedicated October 3, 1888
* 10th New York Cavalry Monument – dedicated October 9, 1888
* 54th New York Infantry – dedicated July 4, 1890
* 111th New York Infantry Monument – dedicated June 26, 1891
* New York State Monument – dedicated July 2, 1893
* 41st New York Infantry – dedicated July 3, 1893
* 52nd New York Infantry – dedicated July 3, 1893
File:CB NYState-Mon.jpg, New York State Monument
File:NY Monument Gettysburg Nat Cem top.jpg, Figure of ''Liberty'' atop the NY State Monument
File:CB NYState-Mon-detail.jpg, Death of General Reynolds, detail of the NY State Monument
Other Civil War monuments
*Civil War Monument, Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
, George Keller, architect, 1879
*Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
, George Keller, architect, 1884
* Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
, 1889
* Alexandria Confederate Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
, 1889
* Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Troy, New York
Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...
, 1890.
** Four relief panels: ''Cavalry'', ''Artillery'', ''Infantry'', ''The Monitor and the Merrimac''
*A.P. Hill Monument, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, 1892
* Howitzer Monument, Richmond, Virginia, 1892
*Confederate Monument, University of Virginia Cemetery
The University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery on the grounds of the University of Virginia, located at the intersection of McCormick Road and Alderman Road. In operation since 1828, during the earliest days of the university, ...
, Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, 1893
* Raphael Semmes Monument, Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
, 1899
Other memorials and monuments
*Fulton Memorial, Fulton Park, Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, 1872
*Fireman's Memorial, Church Square Park, Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...
, 1891
*Dewey Triumphal Arch, Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
, New York City, 1899
Architectural sculpture
*''Columbia Defending Science and Industry'', National Museum/Art and Industries Building, Washington, D.C., Adolph Cluss
Adolf Ludwig Cluss (July 14, 1825 – July 24, 1905) also known as Adolph Cluss was a German-born American immigrant who became one of the most important, influential and prolific architects in Washington, D.C., in the late 19th century, respons ...
, architect, Montgomery Meigs, associate architect, 1881
*Pension Building Frieze, National Building Museum
The National Building Museum is a museum of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning in Northwest Washington, D.C., U.S. It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private non-profit institution. Located at ...
, Washington, D.C., Montgomery Meigs, architect, 1883
* James A. Garfield Memorial, Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...
, Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio, George Keller, architect, 1890
* Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, George Keller, architect, 1890
Pension Building frieze
File:Meigs-1.jpg, National Building Museum
File:Meigs-2.jpg, Corner figures
File:National Building Museum frieze.JPG, South entrance
File:Meigs-5.jpg, Black teamster
Images of the James A. Garfield Memorial
File:CB-Garfield--6.jpg, James A. Garfield Memorial, Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...
, Cleveland, Ohio, 1890, George Keller, architect
File:CB-Garfield--2.jpg, James A. Garfield Memorial detail – Garfield, the Educator
File:CB-Garfield--3.jpg, James A. Garfield Memorial detail – Garfield, the Civil War Hero
File:CB-Garfield--4.jpg, James A. Garfield Memorial detail – Garfield, the Martyred President
Images of Hartford memorial
File:CB -War Memorial, Hartford CT.jpg, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Hartford, Connecticut, 1885, George Keller, architect
File:CB - Hartford detail.jpg, Hartford detail
Images of Buffalo memorial
File:Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3705.JPG, Buffalo Civil War Monument, 1883
File:Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3730.JPG, Detail
File:BuberlBuffalo2.jpg, Detail
File:Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3732.JPG, Detail
Footnotes
References
*Camden, Richard N., ''Outdoor Sculpture of Ohio,'' Chagrin Falls, Ohio: West Summit Press, 1980.
*Craven, Wayne, ''The Sculpture at Gettysburg,'' Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Eastern Acorn Press, 1982.
*Gaede, Robert C., and Robert Kalin, ''Guide to Cleveland Architecture,'' Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, 1990.
*Goode, James M., ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C.,'' Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974.
*Hawthorne, Frederick W.,'' Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments,'' Hanover, Pennsylvania: The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides, 1988.
*Kuckro, Anne Crofoot, ''Hartford Architecture, Volume One: Downtown,'' Hartford, Connecticut: Hartford Architecture Conservatory, Inc., 1976.
*Kvaran and Lockley, ''Guide to the Architectural Sculpture of America,'' unpublished manuscript
*McDaniel, Joyce L., ''The Collected Works of Caspar Buberl: An Analysis of a Nineteenth Century American Sculptor,'' Wellesley, Massachusetts: MA thesis, Wellesley College, 1976.
*Ovason, David
''The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital: the Masons and the building of Washington, D.C.''
New York City: Perennial, 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buberl, Caspar
1834 births
1899 deaths
People from Kynšperk nad Ohří
German Bohemian people
Emigrants from the Austrian Empire to the United States
American people of German Bohemian descent
American architectural sculptors
Artists from Cleveland
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
19th-century American sculptors
American male sculptors
Sculptors from Ohio
19th-century American male artists