The ''Colonel Richard Owen'' bust is a public artwork by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

artist

Belle Kinney Scholz Belle Marshall Kinney Scholz (1890–1959) was an American sculptor, born in Tennessee who worked and died in New York state. Early life Belle Kinney was one of four children born to Captain D.C. Kenny and Elizabeth Morrison Kenny. She was bor ...

and is located in the

Indiana Statehouse The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located i ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The bronze bust was dedicated in 1913 as a memorial to U.S. Army Colonel

Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist and paleontology, palaeontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkabl ...

. It was funded by contributions from individuals and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

veteran associations in recognition of Owen's courtesy to Confederate prisoners of war while he was commandant of

Camp Morton Camp Morton was a military training ground and a Union prisoner-of-war camp in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the American Civil War. It was named for Indiana governor Oliver Morton. Prior to the war, the site served as the fairgrounds for the ...

, a prison camp in Indianapolis, during the

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 ...

. The bust is approximately tall (including base), , and .

Description

The bronze bust rests on a three-part limestone base. The sculpture depicts Owen from the waist up wearing a Union military uniform with a cape-like overcoat. Owen's arms are folded across his chest and he gazes down to the proper right. The bottom, proper left side of the bust has an inscription that reads, "Belle Kinney/NY". The upper base has a wave motif carved into a border. The center base contains an inscription written with affixed bronze letters: ::Colonel Richard Owen ::Commandant ::Camp Morton Prison 1862 ::Tribute by Confederate Prisoners ::of War and Their Friends ::for his Courtesy and Kindness. Beneath the inscription, thirteen bronze stars (each approximately 3/4 inches wide) are arranged in a single horizontal line. On the top proper left side of the center base as inscription references the sculptor: "Belle Kinney, Sc". The bottom base is bordered by a row of leaves carved into the stone. In 2006 the Indiana State Museum listed the piece in excellent condition.

Historical information

In February 1862, after the fall of

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton agreed to hold Confederate prisoners of war at

in Indianapolis. Morton summoned Owen's regiment, the 60th Indiana Volunteers, and others to Indiana to guard the camp's 3,700 prisoners. Owen assumed command of the camp on 24 February 1862 and remained in charge until his regiment was transferred to General Halleck's command in Kentucky on 26 May 1862. Owen left Indianapolis with his regiment on 20 June 1862. As commandant of Camp Morton, Owen established new rules for prisoner conduct and was known for his generosity and fair treatment of the camp's prisoners. Fifty years later, in 1911,

S. A. Cunningham Sumner Archibald Cunningham (July 21, 1843 – December 20, 1913) was an American Confederate soldier and journalist. He was the editor of a short lived Confederate magazine called "Our Day" (1883-1884) published in New York. In 1893 he establish ...

, a longtime editor of the ''

Confederate Veteran The ''Confederate Veteran'' was a magazine about veterans of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. It published histories of the Civil War with a focus on Confederate events. It also propagated a myth of the Lo ...

'' magazine wanted to commission a memorial to Owen. Cunningham was imprisoned at Camp Morton while it was under Owen's supervision. To obtain state government approval for a memorial, William W. Spencer, a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, put forth a resolution to authorized its creation:

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring therein, that the Governor of this State be authorized to permit the surviving Confederate prisoners who were confined in Camp Morton during the War between the States to erect a tablet to the memory of Col. Richard Owen for the kindness shown said Confederate prisoners, and that the Governor be authorized to designate the spot where said tablet shall be placed, either in the Statehouse, on the grounds of the Statehouse, or on the soldiers' monument in the city of Indianapolis.

The bill was approved unanimously by both houses. Initially, Cunningham planned to commission a memorial tablet and asked for donations in the ''Confederate Veteran'' from anyone who had been under Owen's command at the camp. Cunningham received more than $1,100 in contributions and had Belle Kinney Scholz, a sculptor and the daughter of a Confederate soldier, create a bronze bust instead of a tablet. The bust was dedicated at the Indiana Statehouse in June 1913,Albjerg, p. 45. with Civil War veterans from both sides in attendance. The sculpture was called, "a bond between North and South." Two replicas of the Owen bust were cast in 1933. One is installed in the Indiana Memorial Union at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

in Bloomington; the other replica is in the Purdue Memorial Union at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette ( ) is a city in Wabash and Tippecanoe Townships, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash ...

Artist

Regarding the Owen bust, Kinney Scholz said:

It was my aim to portray such a man as he might look while pondering over the meaning of the great struggle in which he was then taking part – his sympathetic heart touched by the suffering it caused, yet realizing its necessity...no work I have ever done gave me as much pleasure as the Owen bust.

References

External links

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
* ttp://www.in.gov/idoa/2371.htm Indiana Statehouse Tour Office {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Richard, Bust of 1913 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Indiana Busts in Indiana Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection Sculptures of men in Indiana Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Indiana Monuments and memorials in Indianapolis

Description

Historical information

Artist

References

Further reading

External links