Daniel Morgan Monument

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Daniel Morgan Monument
National Register of Historic Places
The monument in 2015

The monument in 2015

Daniel Morgan Monument (South Carolina)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
location Spartanburg , South Carolina , United States
Coordinates 34 ° 56 '58 "  N , 81 ° 55' 55"  W Coordinates: 34 ° 56 '58 "  N , 81 ° 55' 55"  W.
Built 1881
architect John Quincy Adams Ward , Edward Brickell White
NRHP number 80003711
The NRHP added September 22, 1980

The Daniel Morgan Monument is a historic monument in the center of Spartanburg , South Carolina . The statue designed by John Quincy Adams Ward was erected in 1881; the corresponding base comes from the architect Edward Brickell White . It is dedicated to Brigadier General Daniel Morgan , hero of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, and the many other American soldiers involved in the battle.

history

The upper part, the bronze sculpture, of the Daniel Morgan Monument in a close-up (2017).

The 30- foot- high statue was erected on May 11, 1881 on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781) in Morgan Square, later also named after Daniel Morgan, in downtown Spartanburg. This was preceded by a vote by the United States Congress on May 26, 1980 with the motion to the War Department to dedicate a bronze statue of heroic size and in the uniform of a rifleman from that period to the commander of the American armed forces of the Battle of Cowpens. The preparation for the casting work took around nine months, with the face and clothing of the sculpture based on a portrait of Daniel Morgan by the portrait painter James Herring . This, in turn, was based on a sketchy drawing by John Trumbull . The engraving below was done by John Francis Eugene Prud'Homme . Morgan's clothing is depicted as the classic clothing of a riflemen with a fringed skirt , leggings and moccasins . The headgear features a tall fur cap and a pine pompom on the left side of the hat. This cap was modeled on an original Civil War cap that Ward had borrowed from a gentleman in Charleston , South Carolina.

The ruffled shirt, tie and hairstyle of the sculpture are adapted to the time in which Morgan lived. The scabbard and belt, as well as a sash attached to the left hip, indicate the rank of the wearer. The powder horn on the right shows Morgan's affinity for the rifle, although the sculpture itself does not carry one. The drawn sword is in the right hand of the sculpture. The left arm is bent over the chest; the fingers of the left hand are still slightly bent from the grip on the scabbard. The body weight is shifted to the right leg and the right foot; the left leg is minimally behind it and is slightly bent; the heel is slightly raised. The head of the sculpture is turned slightly to the left, while the watchful gaze wanders into the distance, and the body as a whole gives the impression of being in a forward motion. In a private letter, Ward wrote that he depicted Morgan with sword drawn, advancing with his troops, and his attention momentarily captured by a move of the enemy to the left. Morgan's character should be that of an intrepid, aggressive and vigilant man, but at the same time, through the specific movements of the head and left arm, also an understanding person.

The nine-foot tall, 2,000-pound bronze sculpture by New York sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was cast over a period of about three months at the Bureau Brothers and Heaton Foundry in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The original color was a gold-colored bronze, which was made darker with acid and in the end turned a strong brown according to the instructions of John Quincy Adams Ward. The sculpture was placed on a 21 foot high Doric granite column with an octagonal base, designed by the architect Edward Brickell White. The base itself consists of three different octagonal elements: the lower base plate, a plate placed on it with a slightly reduced diameter and a slightly conical block of cube converging to form an architrave . Directly above the Echinus , on the Doric style, but shortened, column is a four-foot square plate ( abacus ) on which the bronze sculpture is attached. A bronze plaque was embedded in each of the four straight faces of the cube block; Another two elongated bronze plates are on the front and back of the lowest plate. All of them were provided with patriotic text. Names in raised block letters were placed on the plate with the smaller diameter above; MORGA N. can be read on the front . Over time, the sculpture was rotated on its pedestal, which led to a disorientation of the inscription; however, the design relationship remained intact.

The Daniel Morgan Monument was moved about 100 yards across Morgan Square, also named after Daniel Morgan, at its east end in 1960. In 2005 the monument was repositioned in its original location as part of a large-scale revitalization project of Morgan Square and has been in the immediate vicinity of the corner of West Main Street / Magnolia Street and Dunbar Street since then. During the revitalization, the sculpture briefly stood in the Arts Center in Spartanburg for a period of around six months . When moving in 1960, the original orientation of the base (east / west) was changed and the sculpture itself was rotated 180 degrees so that the front of the statue now faces the specially created park. The back with the memory of William Washington faces Magnolia Street, which is behind it; at a distance of less than one and a half meters from the curb. In the 1980s this location, which has changed over the years, was specified as a triangular pedestrian island at the Church Street / Main Street intersection in the downtown Spartanburg business district. A few years ago, according to Google Street View at least after 2012, a plaque was put up in the immediate vicinity of the monument at the entrance to the park.

Due to environmental influences, the metal oxidized over the years and acquired its characteristic green patina. However, the sculpture is cleaned at regular intervals on behalf of the city administration and then shines again in its original brown tone. At night, at least four ground lights are aimed at the monument and illuminate it. From the two outer bases of the fence surrounding the park, two spotlights have also been aimed directly at the bronze sculpture since the information board was erected there.

It can be assumed that the base was White's last work; White died in New York on May 10, 1882. On September 22, 1980, the monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places and has the reference number 80003711 in it.

Web links and sources

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Morgan statue to be placed Friday , accessed on May 13, 2018