Alabama Memorial -- Vicksburg NMP, Vicksburg MS - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The Alabama Memorial made Younger Blasterz pause a second and think of the horrible clashes that happened here, near the Railroad Redoubt. This is a memorial that must be explored, not just viewed from the road.

The men depicted here are in a struggle to the death. Some are wounded, one has died, and others fight on. A woman holding the Confederate battle flag gives a drink of water to a dying soldier, comforting him in his last moments before he becomes one of Alabama's honored dead.

From the SIRIS entry for this sculpture: (visit link)

"Sculpture in the round features five uniformed soldiers, and an allegorical female figure (representing the State of Alabama) who holds a Confederate flag. Three of the soldiers are firing rifles and two are wounded."

From the National Park Service: (visit link)

"Alabama Memorial

The Alabama State Memorial is located on the south loop of Confederate Avenue, at milepost 13.6 of the park tour road. At a cost of $150,000, the monument was sculpted in 1951 by Steffen Thomas of Stone Mountain, GA. The bronze work depicts seven heroic men from Alabama being inspired by a woman representing the state itself. The casting rests upon a base of Weiblin grey granite from Elberton City Quarries, Inc., Elberton, GA, and comes from the same quarries used in the construction of the Memorial Arch, located at the entrance of Vicksburg National Military Park, and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial was dedicated on July 19, 1951."

TITLE: Alabama Memorial ARTIST(S): Steffen Thomas DATE: 1948-1950. Dedicated 1951. MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Base: Weiblin gray or white granite CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MS000334 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg MS DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: We think one of the two wounded soldiers referenced in the SIRIS listing is actually dead. He is face-down in the mud and gory muck of battle, plus the way he lies he seems lifeless to us.

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Date Logged Log   06/09/2016 Dory The Explorer visited it 10/09/2014 iconions visited it 09/20/2014 Benchmark Blasterz visited it

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