Palmetto Tree - Columbia, South Carolina
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 34° 00.010 W 081° 02.023
17S E 496885 N 3762175
Memorial to the Palmetto Regiment of the Mexican War on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina.
Waymark Code: WMGNWG
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 03/25/2013
Views: 12
Guarding the portico, west, is a life-sized iron PALMETTO TREE, a monument to the famous Palmetto Regiment of South Carolina in the Mexican War. Designed by Christopher Werner of Charleston, and scarcely distinguishable from a living tree, its pedestal bears plates engraved with the names of about 450 regiment members who died in the service; only some 300 of the 1,200 members survived. Sherman's men destroyed the original plates; they were replaced by Matt Heffler, whose father helped cast the monument. Broken into bits by a freak tornado of February 1939, the statue has been restored. - South Carolina: A Guide to the Palmetto State, Columbia section , pgs. 222-223.
In this section of the Guide various items located on the Statehouse grounds are being discussed. The monument is much as described in the Guide. It was dedicated in 1858 to honor the Palmetto Regiment. It is inscribed:
South Carolina
To
Her Sons
Of The
Palmetto Regiment
Who Fell
In The
War With Mexico
Anno Domino 1847