Lieutenant General James Longstreet Monument (Gettysburg)
From CivilWarWiki
Battlefield: Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania
Location: Pitzer's Woods off West Confederate Ave
Map Coordinates: +39° 48' 20.52", -77° 15' 23.76"
Leader of: 1st Corps, ANV
Biography: James Longstreet
Contents |
Monument Text
- Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Commanding First Corps Army of Northern Virginia
- Soldiers of Gen. Longstreet's command held and protected the right wing of the army July 2-4 1863. His First Corps attacked and dislodged Union forces at the Devil's Den, the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard, on July 2. As a portion of his infantry secured the Peach Orchard, Gen. Longstreet advanced on horseback with them. The following day, Gen. Longstreet was ordered by Gen. Robert E. Lee to coordinate an attack against the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. On July 3, "Longstreet's Assault" was repulsed with great loss after penetrating the enemy's battle line on Cemetery Ridge. During the march back to Virginia, Gen. Longstreet and his First Corps played a prominent role in protecting the retreating army.
- "By the soldiers he is invariably spoken of as 'the best fighter in the whole army.' "- Lt. Col. Arthur J. Fremantle, Her Majesty's Coldstream Guards (June 27, 1863)
Monument Details
Artist: Casteel, Gary, sculptor
Dedicated: July 3, 1998
Dimensions: Not Available
Description: Bronze portrait of General Longstreet in his military uniform astride his horse.
Cost: in 1998
Funding: Provided by the General James Longstreet Memorial Fund, established by the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans
Myths and Opinions about the James Longstreet / Hero Sculpture
Opinions written by Mike Kendra...
The Horse is Too Small / Longstreet is Too Large for the Horse
This is a popular commentary among many on the internet. Unfortunately, the facts cannot be satisfactorily answered to everyone's agreement. Some say that the horse is proportioned more like a pony.
The sculptor, Gary Casteel, is insistent that the horse is in fact very well proportioned as a "war horse" rather than a stallion as other monuments on the battlefield are portrayed.
It is my opinion the horse and rider are actually well proportioned, but that the "moment frozen in time" showing the horse preparing to gallop off with great haste as Longstreet pulls back the reigns gives the impression that the horse is smaller than it actually is. In my opinion, the horse is rearing down as if preparing to take off, and that from some angles, particularly when viewed in a photograph, the horse appears to be too small for the rider.
I would recommend visiting the monument in person, walk up to the memorial and see for yourself how large the horse actually is.
Verdict: It's a matter of personal artistic interpretation.
The Missing Pedistal
The monument was never designed with a pedestal in mind. As stated by the sculptor Gary Casteel, "The monument was erected without a pedestal to become not less heroic, but more personal and approachable by those who visit Lee's lieutenant."
There have been many mythic commentaries on this issue, and many to this day believe that a pedestal will some day be built. I must personally take some of the blame, for I once perpetrated an April Fools joke exploiting this very myth.
Verdict: False, there have never been plans to build a pedistal.
The Myth about the Single Raised Hoof
There is a common saying in and around Gettysburg about equestrian monuments, if all four horses hooves are on the ground, then the officer riding the horse survived the battle unharmed. If one hoof is raised, the officer was wounded, and if two are raised the officer was killed. Prior to the James Longstreet Memorial, this "rule of thumb" was happily applied at Gettysburg.
However, one glance at the Longstreet Memorial may give you pause because one hoof is in fact raised, and it is a well known fact that Longstreet was not wounded at Gettysburg.
One critic called it "an unnecessary violation of tradition". Another commenter tried to explain it this way: "the raised hoof is symbolic of Longstreet's, and his men's wounding (figuratively) at Gettysburg".
Verdict: True, it does break an unofficial tradition, but this is artwork, and the Longstreet is a contemporary piece of artwork, it was never intended to match every other equestrian monument on the battlefield.
Featured Video Tour with Sculptor Gary Casteel
The media player is loading...
