Appomattox (statue)

Appomattox

Appomattox
Artist	Caspar Buberl
Year	1889 (1889)
Location	Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	38°48′14.1″N 77°2′49.9″W / 38.803917°N 77.047194°W / 38.803917; -77.047194

Appomattox is the name of a bronze statue that is positioned in the center of the intersection of South Washington Street (Virginia Route 400) and Prince Street in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. It was created by sculptor M. Caspar Buberl and commissioned and erected by the Robert E. Lee camp of the United Confederate Veterans in 1889. The form of the soldier was designed by John Adams Elder, who modeled it after a painting of the same title that shows a lone Confederate viewing the aftermath of the battle of Appomattox Court House, where Gen. Robert E. Lee ultimately surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant.^[1]

The dedication ceremony was held on May 24, 1889, and was attended by a vast crowd.^[2] It was noted that by noon of that day, a great influx of visitors had swarmed the town of Alexandria to take part in the ceremony, which was overseen by Fitzhugh Lee, who was governor of Virginia at that time. Joseph E. Johnston, former Confederate general of the Army of Tennessee, was also in attendance.^[2][3] The UCV foresaw the controversy that would potentially arise over the monument. Thus, they motioned in the same year to have it protected by state law.^[3] This legal protection continues as of 2010.^[4]

Appearance

The statue is cast in bronze and stands upon a square stone base with inscriptions on each side. The figure is that of a lone Confederate soldier, who stands facing south with his arms crossed. His wide-brimmed hat is clasped in his right hand and he is looking down toward the ground with a somber expression on his face. The soldier is facing south, the direction which the soldiers from Alexandria would have marched to meet their Union foes in battle in 1861, and also the direction of the former CSA.

The base is made of concrete and marble and bears several inscriptions. The north side of the base reads, "They died in the consciousness of duty faithfully performed." The south side reads, "Erected to the memory of Confederate dead of Alexandria, Va. by their Surviving Comrades, May 24th 1889." The east and west sides bear the names of those from Alexandria who died during the Civil War.^[2]

A short way from the statue is a stone historic marker with a bronze plaque upon which is engraved the following:

"THE CONFEDERATE STATUE

The unarmed Confederate soldier standing in
the intersection of Washington and Prince
Streets marks the location where units from
Alexandria left to join the Confederate Army
on May 24, 1861. The soldier is facing the
battlefields to the South where his comrades
fell during the War Between the States. The
names of those Alexandrians who died in service
for the Confederacy are inscribed on the base
of the statue. The title of the sculpture is
“Appomattox” by M. Casper Buberl.

The statue was erected in 1889 by the Robert E. Lee Camp
United Confederate Veterans."^[5]

References

Coordinates: 38°48′14.1″N 77°2′49.9″W / 38.803917°N 77.047194°W / 38.803917; -77.047194