Confederate Monument of Bowling Green
Encyclopedia
The Confederate Monument of Bowling Green, in Bowling Green, Kentucky
, is among the sixty-one monuments of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission, all of which became part of the National Register of Historic Places
on July 17, 1997. It is within Bowling Green's Fairview Cemetery
, on the east side of the old/northern side of the cemetery.
It was built thanks to the efforts of George B. Payne. In 1875 he lived in Topeka, Kansas
, but had served in the Confederate
4th Kentucky Infantry
during the Civil War
, spending much time around Bowling Green as he was a courier under General John C. Breckinridge
. He desired a monument honoring the Confederate war dead buried at the cemetery. This caused the Warren County
Monumental Association to form, with Thomas Hines
, who had served as a spy under John Hunt Morgan
but was now living in Bowling Green, serving as president. Popular support for the monument came from the barbaric actions of Union
general Stephen Burbridge, who sought to murder Confederate soldiers for any reason, resulting in the deaths of twenty-two residents of Warren County in 1864. Prior to that time, the Union saw more support in the county,though the Confederate government of Kentucky
briefly resided in Bowling Green 1861-1862.
The monument is made of white limestone
that was locally acquired. It cost $1,500 to build, attained by a subscription drive that ran from 1875 until the monument's dedication on May 3, 1876. The obelisk stands thirty feet tall, and is draped by a carved Confederate flag. A lithograph of a painting popular in the Reconstruction-South, Henry Mosler
's "Lost Cause", which typified the devastation Northern invaders inflicted upon Southern homesteads, was placed on the front of the monument. Different relief
s are on other sides of the monument.
Statues of cannons pointed straight up are twenty feet away from each corner of the main monuments, and are eight feet tall. Cannonballs
are depicted around the base of the cannon monuments.
Over ten thousand people came to the dedication of the monument. The dedication speaker was William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
, who served as a colonel for John Hunt Morgan
's 9th Kentucky Cavalry, and was instrumental in many veteran organizations for former Confederate soldiers.
A marker describing the monument lies in front of the monument, beside the cemetery road. The marker contains a factual error, saying that Thomas Hines was unable to make it to the dedication due to dying before then. In actuality, Hines would not die for another twenty-two years; his grave is in the same cemetery. Another problem with the marker is that it gives Henry Mosler's last name as Moseler.
Surrounding the monument are the graves of seventy Confederate soldiers, some of them unidentified.
One other Civil War monument is at Fairview Cemetery, the William F. Perry Monument
.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, is among the sixty-one monuments of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission, all of which became part of 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. It is within Bowling Green's Fairview Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery may refer to:in Canada* Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotiain the United States* Fairview Cemetery , listed on the NRHP in Arkansas...
, on the east side of the old/northern side of the cemetery.
It was built thanks to the efforts of George B. Payne. In 1875 he lived in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, but had served in the 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...
4th Kentucky Infantry
4th Kentucky Infantry
The 4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was part of the First Kentucky Brigade.-Service:...
during the 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...
, spending much time around Bowling Green as he was a courier under General John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
. He desired a monument honoring the Confederate war dead buried at the cemetery. This caused the Warren County
Warren County, Kentucky
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky, specifically the Pennyroyal Plateau and Western Coal Fields regions. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 113,792 in the 2010 Census. The county seat is Bowling Green...
Monumental Association to form, with Thomas Hines
Thomas Hines
Thomas Henry Hines was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War. A native of Butler County, Kentucky, he initially worked as a grammar instructor, mainly at the Masonic University of La Grange, Kentucky. During the first year of the war, he served as a field officer, initiating several...
, who had served as a spy under John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
but was now living in Bowling Green, serving as president. Popular support for the monument came from the barbaric actions of 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...
general Stephen Burbridge, who sought to murder Confederate soldiers for any reason, resulting in the deaths of twenty-two residents of Warren County in 1864. Prior to that time, the Union saw more support in the county,though the Confederate government of Kentucky
Confederate government of Kentucky
The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in Frankfort, which had strong Union...
briefly resided in Bowling Green 1861-1862.
The monument is made of white limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
that was locally acquired. It cost $1,500 to build, attained by a subscription drive that ran from 1875 until the monument's dedication on May 3, 1876. The obelisk stands thirty feet tall, and is draped by a carved Confederate flag. A lithograph of a painting popular in the Reconstruction-South, Henry Mosler
Henry Mosler
Henry Mosler , United States artist, was born in Tropplowitz, Silesia and moved with his family to New York when he was 8...
's "Lost Cause", which typified the devastation Northern invaders inflicted upon Southern homesteads, was placed on the front of the monument. Different 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 are on other sides of the monument.
Statues of cannons pointed straight up are twenty feet away from each corner of the main monuments, and are eight feet tall. Cannonballs
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
are depicted around the base of the cannon monuments.
Over ten thousand people came to the dedication of the monument. The dedication speaker was William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
William Campbell Preston Breckinridge was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Kentucky, a Member of the Masonic Lodge, and a Member of the Knights Templar. He was the first cousin of Vice President of the United States John C. Breckinridge.He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from...
, who served as a colonel for John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
's 9th Kentucky Cavalry, and was instrumental in many veteran organizations for former Confederate soldiers.
A marker describing the monument lies in front of the monument, beside the cemetery road. The marker contains a factual error, saying that Thomas Hines was unable to make it to the dedication due to dying before then. In actuality, Hines would not die for another twenty-two years; his grave is in the same cemetery. Another problem with the marker is that it gives Henry Mosler's last name as Moseler.
Surrounding the monument are the graves of seventy Confederate soldiers, some of them unidentified.
One other Civil War monument is at Fairview Cemetery, the William F. Perry Monument
William F. Perry Monument
The William F. Perry Monument is an historical gravestone located at Fairview Cemetery in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is an oversized limestone headstone....
.