North Carolina Monument - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The North Carolina Monument is a North Carolina memorial of the American Civil War commemorating the 32 Carolina regiments in action at the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

. The monument is a public artwork by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

sculptor Gutzon Borglum

Gutzon Borglum

Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art.- Background :The son of Mormon Danish immigrants, Gutzon...

located on Seminary Ridge

Seminary Ridge

Seminary Ridge is a dendritic ridge which was an area of Battle of Gettysburg engagements during the American Civil War and of military installations during World War II.-Geography:...

, West Confederate Avenue.

Description

Surrounded by dogwood

Dogwood

The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...

trees (the North Carolina state flower), the monument features figures of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

infantrymen advancing during Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...

, where fifteen infantry regiments from North Carolina participated and suffered heavy casualties. One man kneels injured on the ground, pointing towards the enemy with his proper left hand while two men wield guns and look forward. A fourth man holds a flag in both hands as he glances forward. The sculpture is signed "Gutzon Borglum 1929 (illegible) AKUNST FDY NYC". The back of the base is inscribed: "NORTH CAROLINA".

Placque

A plaque placed just to the west of the sculpture states:

1863 North Carolina

to the eternal glory of the North Carolina

soldiers, who on this battlefield displayed

heroism unsurpassed, sacrificing all in support of their cause – their valorous deeds

will be enshrined in the hearts of men long

after these transient memorials have crumbled into dust.

Thirty-two north Carolina regiments were in

action at Gettysburg July 1, 2, 3, 1863. One Confederate soldier in every four who fell here

was a North Carolinian.

This tablet erected by the North Carolina Division United Daughters

of the Confederacy.

Another nearby plaque lists all of the names of the North Carolina divisions.

History

A 1913 North Carolina

North Carolina

commission of Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

veterans presented a monument proposal after visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield

Gettysburg Battlefield

The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...

, and after World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the North Carolina United Daughters of the Confederacy

United Daughters of the Confederacy

The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a women's heritage association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served in the military and died in service to the Confederate States of America . UDC began as the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, organized in 1894 by...

and Governor Angus McLean

Angus Wilton McLean

Angus Wilton McLean was a lawyer and banker who was the 56th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1925 to 1929...

continued the planning in 1927. with a commission visiting the battlefield on September 28th, 1926. North Carolina appropriated $50,000 to purchase and landscape the site and to commission Gutzon Borglum, who was approached while working on Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

Save Outdoor Sculpture!

Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....

survey reported the sculpture needed treatment, the monument was rehabilitated in 1999.

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