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 Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams - Detroit, Michigan Posted by:  Rattrak
N 42° 20.370 W 082° 59.195
17T E 336350 N 4689382
Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams can be found on Belle Isle, an island that is a City of Detroit Park. This sculpture is found in about the center of the island at Central Way and Inselruhe Street.
Waymark Code: WM845Y
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/24/2010
Views: 16
Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams
A general that served in the Civil War. Here is here on his horse, Plug Ugly. Before the war he served Detroit in many ways that included Judge, bank President, Newpaper Editor and Postmaster. After the war he served as a military administrator and U.S. Minister and was elected to Congress in 1875. He died of a stroke while in the U.S. Capitol Building on December 21, 1878 and is buried in the nearby historic Elmwood Cemetery.
Information from the SIRIS website is as follows;
Description:
A portrait of Alpheus Williams mounted on his horse with his head lowered to study a map of a battlefield during a storm. The horse has all four feet on the ground and his head is lowered.
Remarks:
Williams also served as a Detroit lawyer, judge, publisher, postmaster, and congressman. On April 17, 1911, th Loyal Legions and other concerned citizens formed an association to erect an equestrian statue of General Williams who had served in both the Mexian and Civil Wars, and he was the only Michigan officer to command an armed corps during the War of the Rebellion. On April 19, 1912 a fund of $30,000 was set up and Shrady was commissioned. In 1915 a miniature copy of the sculpture was on display in the Arts Museum. The City of Detroit appropriated another $25,000 for the construction, foundation, and pedestal. Although the project was delayed due to shortages caused by WWI, union strikes, and Shrady's failing health, the memorial was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1921.
Inscription:
(On front of base, incised:) MAJOR GENERAL ALPHEUS STARKEY WILLIAMS 1810-1878 (Inscribed on proper right side of base) (On proper left side of base, incised:) THE MICHIGAN COMMANDERY OF THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES AND CITIZENS OF DETROIT HAVE ERECTED THIS TRIBUTE TO THE VALOR AND ABILITIES OF ALPHEUS S. WILLIAMS LIEUT-COLONEL FIRST MICHIGAN INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS IN THE WAR WITH MEXICO BRIG-GENERAL AND BREVET MAJ-GENERAL UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS IN THE CIVIL WAR unsigned.
TITLE: Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams
ARTIST(S): Henry Merwin Shrady, 1871-1922, sculptor. Alpheus Chitenden, architect.
DATE: Dedicated Oct. 15, 1921
MEDIUM: Equestrian figure: bronze; Base: granite
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 87840018
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
On Belle Isle, an island that is a City of Detroit Park. This is found in about the center of the island, at Central Way and Inselruhe Street.
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Found as listed and is still in great need of treatment, one we would hate to leave go to waste.
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.
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