The statue of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

cavalry general

Williams Carter Wickham Williams Carter Wickham (September 21, 1820 – July 23, 1888) was a Virginia lawyer and politician. A plantation owner who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, Wickham also became a delegate to the Virginia Secession Conventi ...

Edward Virginius Valentine Edward Virginius Valentine (November 12, 1838 - October 19, 1930) was an American sculptor from Richmond, Virginia. Early life and education Edward Virginius Valentine was born on November 12, 1838, in Richmond, Virginia, to Elizabeth (née Mosb ...

was installed in

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. ...

Monroe Park Monroe Park is a landscaped park northwest of the Virginia State Capitol Building in Richmond, Virginia. It is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States (1817–1825). The park unofficially demarcates the eastern po ...

in 1891, near

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

's main campus. It was toppled in June 2020 during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

Description

The

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

was designed by

. It measures approximately 7 ft. x 18 in. x 18 in., and rests on a granite base measuring approximately 10 ft. x 88 1/2 in. x 88 1/2 in. The statue depicts

wearing a Confederate uniform and holding a case for his field glasses in his proper right hand. He holds a pair of gloves behind his back in his opposite hand. Originally, he had a sword, which was later removed by

vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

. An inscription on the front of the base reads: Another on the back of the base reads:

History

Not long after Wickham's death, employees of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, "all of whom were sincerely devoted to the deceased, whose memory they tenderly cherish and revere," initiated an effort to erect a bronze statue in his memory. As of September 1889, a committee consisting of ex-Senator John Callahan, C.T. Dabney, W.B. Waldron, E.C. Meredith, and W.J. Binford partnered with sculptor Edward V. Valentine to create and erect a statue so as to "perpetuate the heroic life and gallant deeds of the late Gen. William C. Wickham." Erected in 1891, the work was the gift of Williams' fellow soldiers and the employees of the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...

. Vandals stole Wickham's sword in August 1956. The artwork was surveyed by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

's "

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...

" in 1995. In 2017, Clayton and Will Wickham, two of Wickham's descendants, requested that the city of Richmond remove the statue. In their letter to the city council, the brothers wrote that "as a plantation owner, Confederate general and industrialist, General Wickham unapologetically accrued power and wealth through the exploitation of enslaved people". Public objections to the sculpture's presence in Monroe Park increased during the 2020 George Floyd protests. In June 2020, protesters toppled the sculpture using ropes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickham, Williams Carter, Statue of 1891 establishments in Virginia 1891 sculptures 2020 disestablishments in Virginia Bronze sculptures in Virginia Destroyed sculptures Granite sculptures in Virginia Monuments and memorials in Virginia Outdoor sculptures in Richmond, Virginia Statues removed in 2020 Sculptures of men in Virginia Statues in Virginia Vandalized works of art in Virginia Monuments and memorials in Virginia removed during the George Floyd protests

Description

History

See also

References

External links