Confederate Monument in Georgetown
Encyclopedia
The Confederate Monument in Georgetown is within the Georgetown Cemetery
of Georgetown, Kentucky
. It is an unpolished granite
obelisk
that is twenty feet tall, surrounded by the graves of eighteen former Confederate
soldiers. The various relief
s upon the obelisk include crossed cannons, crossed muskets, a drum, and flags. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on July 17, 1997 as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission.
The dedication of the monument took place in June 1888. The Ladies Monument Association, in association with the women of Scott County, Kentucky
, was responsible for the attainment of the funds necessary to erect the monument. They had eighteen fallen Confederates, from graves around the county, reinterred around the monument, in a manner similar to other such monuments in Kentucky. Two of these were victims of Stephen G. Burbridge
's Order 59, which called for the murder of four Confederate prisoners of war whenever one Union
civilian was killed. The dedication was presided by Dr. John A. Lewis, with a parade preceding the dedication containing thousands from around the state of Kentucky.
Scott County had provided 1,000 troops for the Confederacy, while only providing 118 men to the Union Army. George Johnson
, the first of two Confederate governors of Kentucky, is also buried within the cemetery. He fell due to a stray bullet at the Battle of Shiloh
.
The Georgetown Cemetery, while not on the National Register itself, is nevertheless historic, noted for its Victorian era
monuments. It was established in 1850, but its 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) were finalized in 1860. There are many graves which date back prior to this time; they were moved to the cemetery after its foundation. Aside from the aforementioned George Johnson, two other Kentucky governors, Joseph Desha
and James F. Robinson
, are buried within the cemetery.
Georgetown Cemetery (Georgetown, KY)
Georgetown Cemetery located in Georgetown, Kentucky, is the burial site of two Kentucky Governors; James F. Robinson and Joseph Desha, and Kentucky Confederate Governor George W. Johnson. Other famous politicians buried in the cemetery are James Campbell Cantrill, a Democratic nominee for Governor,...
of Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...
. It is an unpolished granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
that is twenty feet tall, surrounded by the graves of eighteen former Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldiers. The various relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s upon the obelisk include crossed cannons, crossed muskets, a drum, and flags. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on July 17, 1997 as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission.
The dedication of the monument took place in June 1888. The Ladies Monument Association, in association with the women of Scott County, Kentucky
Scott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 47,173 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Georgetown.Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, was responsible for the attainment of the funds necessary to erect the monument. They had eighteen fallen Confederates, from graves around the county, reinterred around the monument, in a manner similar to other such monuments in Kentucky. Two of these were victims of Stephen G. Burbridge
Stephen G. Burbridge
-External links:* — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush...
's Order 59, which called for the murder of four Confederate prisoners of war whenever one Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
civilian was killed. The dedication was presided by Dr. John A. Lewis, with a parade preceding the dedication containing thousands from around the state of Kentucky.
Scott County had provided 1,000 troops for the Confederacy, while only providing 118 men to the Union Army. George Johnson
George W. Johnson (Civil War)
George Washington Johnson was the first Confederate governor of Kentucky. A lawyer-turned-farmer from Scott County, Kentucky, Johnson favored secession as a means of preventing the Civil War, believing the Union and Confederacy would be forces of equal strength, each too wary to attack the other...
, the first of two Confederate governors of Kentucky, is also buried within the cemetery. He fell due to a stray bullet at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
.
The Georgetown Cemetery, while not on the National Register itself, is nevertheless historic, noted for its Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
monuments. It was established in 1850, but its 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) were finalized in 1860. There are many graves which date back prior to this time; they were moved to the cemetery after its foundation. Aside from the aforementioned George Johnson, two other Kentucky governors, Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha was a U.S. Representative and the ninth Governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War. He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle...
and James F. Robinson
James F. Robinson
James Fisher Robinson was the 22nd Governor of Kentucky, serving the remainder of the unfinished term of Governor Beriah Magoffin. Magoffin, a Confederate sympathizer, became increasingly ineffective after the elections of 1861 yielded a supermajority to pro-Union forces in both houses of the...
, are buried within the cemetery.