The Sam Davis Statue is a historic

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

statue of

Sam Davis Sam Davis (October 6, 1842 – November 27, 1863) was a Confederate soldier executed by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. He is popularly known as the ''Boy Hero of the Confederacy'', although he was 21 when he ...

, the "Boy Hero of the Confederacy," outside the Tennessee State Capitol in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

History

Its commission was first suggested by

Sumner Archibald 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 ...

, the founding editor of '' Confederate Veteran''. It was designed by sculptor George Julian Zolnay. Built with bronze, it is nine feet tall on top of a marble pedestal. The western plaque includes lines from a poem by

Ella Wheeler Wilcox Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850October 30, 1919) was an American author and poet. Her works include the collection '' Poems of Passion'' and the poem "Solitude", which contains the lines "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you ...

. The monument cost almost $8,000 (equivalent to $ in ) to build. The bronze sculpture cost $4,000 (equivalent to $ in ) and the marble pedestal $3,000 (equivalent to $ in ). The dedication was held on April 29, 1909. It was attended by thousands (between 3,000 and 5,000), including members of the Davis family, Confederate veterans in

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

, and members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Major Eugene C. Lewis introduced Governor

Malcolm R. Patterson Malcolm Rice Patterson (June 7, 1861 – March 8, 1935) was an American politician and jurist. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1901 to 1906, and as the 30th governor of Tennessee from 1907 to 1911. He later served as a circu ...

, who gave a speech praising Davis. Lewis then read a letter by Colonel Hume R. Field. It was followed by a prayer by Reverend James Hugh McNeilly of Glen Leven Presbyterian Church. Finally, Davis's grandniece, Elizabeth Ewing Davis, unveiled the statue by taking off the Confederate flags covering it.

2017 protest

On August 28, 2017, in the wake of the

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

, protesters covered the statue, but the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the

Nashville Fire Department The Nashville Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to Nashville, Tennessee. The department is responsible for an area of . History The fire department started in May 1807 as a volunteer fire service and became ...

uncovered it half an hour later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam Davis Statue 1909 establishments in Tennessee 1909 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Tennessee Outdoor sculptures in Tennessee Sculptures of men in Tennessee Statues in Tennessee

History

2017 protest

See also

References