Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, John C. Pemberton has this one statue on the Battlefield and it is the main feature of Pemberton Circle.
John Clifford Pemberton (August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881), was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg in the summer of 1863.
On October 10, 1862, Pemberton was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and assigned to defend the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Mississippi River, known as the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Davis gave him the following instructions regarding his new assignment: "... consider the successful defense of those States as the first and chief object of your command." Pemberton arrived at his new headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 14.
His forces consisted of fewer than 50,000 men under the command of Maj. Gens. Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price, with around 24,000 in the permanent garrisons at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, Louisiana. John D. Winters described the men under Pemberton as "a beaten and demoralized army, fresh from the defeat at Corinth, Mississippi." Pemberton faced his former Mexican War colleague,[10] the aggressive Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and over 100,000 Union soldiers in the Vicksburg Campaign.
In an attempt to carry out his orders from both Davis and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Pemberton and his Army of Mississippi set out east to combine with Johnston's forces gathering around Jackson, while remaining in contact and covering Vicksburg. Another order from Johnston changing their proposed meeting location caused Pemberton to turn around, and when he did he accidentally collided with Grant's army at the Battle of Champion Hill on May 16 and suffered a major defeat. Pemberton retreated to the Big Black River, where he fought and suffered even more heavy losses on May 17. Pemberton resolved to defend Vicksburg and led his defeated men back into its defenses on May 18. Although advised by Johnston to escape with his army, sacrificing the city, Pemberton held firm for over six weeks, while soldiers and civilians were starved into submission. (Pemberton, well aware of his reputation as a Northerner by birth, was probably influenced by his fear of public condemnation as a traitor if he abandoned Vicksburg.)
On the evening of July 2, 1863, Pemberton asked in writing his four division commanders if they believed their men could "make the marches and undergo the fatigues necessary to accomplish a successful evacuation" after 45 days of siege. With four votes of no, the next day Pemberton asked the Federals for an armistice to allow time for the discussion of terms of surrender, and at 10:00 a.m. on July 4 he surrendered the city and his army to Grant. The written terms (which in the first talks were simply unconditional surrender) were negotiated so that the Confederate soldiers would be paroled and:
...be allowed to march out of our lines, the officers taking with them their side-arms and clothing, and the field, staff, and cavalry officers one horse each. The rank and file will be allowed all their clothing, but no other property.
Pemberton surrendered 2,166 officers and 27,230 men, 172 cannon, and almost 60,000 muskets and rifles to Grant. This, combined with the successful Siege of Port Hudson on July 9, gave the Union complete control over the Mississippi River, resulting in a major strategic loss for the Confederacy, and cutting off Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's command and the Trans-Mississippi Theater from the Confederacy for the rest of the war.
After his surrender, Pemberton was exchanged as a prisoner on October 13, 1863, and he returned to Richmond. There he spent some eight months without an assignment. At first Gen. Braxton Bragg thought he could use Pemberton, but after conferring with his own ranking officers he advised Davis that taking on the discredited lieutenant general "would not be advisable." Pemberton finally wrote Davis directly, asking he be returned to duty "in any capacity in which you think I may be useful." Davis replied that his own personal confidence in him remained unshaken, saying:
I thought and still think that you did right to risk an army for the purpose of keeping command of even a section of the Mississippi River. Had you succeeded none would have blamed; had you not made the attempt, few if any would have defended your course.
Pemberton resigned as a general officer on May 9, 1864, and Davis offered him a commission as a lieutenant colonel of artillery three days later, which he accepted, a testimonial of his loyalty to the South and the Confederate cause. He commanded the artillery of the defenses of Richmond until January 9, 1865. He was appointed inspector general of the artillery as of January 7, and held this position until he was captured in Salisbury, North Carolina, on April 12. Along with Pemberton and his 14 remaining guns, the Federals rounded up about 1,300 men and nearly 10,000 small arms. There is no record of his parole after his capture. Pemberton resigned as a general officer on May 9, 1864, and Davis offered him a commission as a lieutenant colonel of artillery three days later, which he accepted, a testimonial of his loyalty to the South and the Confederate cause.[13] He commanded the artillery of the defenses of Richmond until January 9, 1865. He was appointed inspector general of the artillery as of January 7, and held this position until he was captured in Salisbury, North Carolina, on April 12. Along with Pemberton and his 14 remaining guns, the Federals rounded up about 1,300 men and nearly 10,000 small arms. There is no record of his parole after his capture.
Statue of John C. Pemberton
Text on the front of the marker:
JOHN C PEMBERTON
LT GENERAL C. S. ARMY
COMMANDING DEPARTMENT OF
MISS AND EAST LOUISIANA
------
CADET U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY 1833
2ND LT. 4TH ART. JULY FIRST 1837
FIRST LT. MAR. NINETEENTH 1842
CAPTAIN SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH 1850
RESIGNED APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH 1861
BRIG. GEN. C.S. ARMY JUNE 17 1861
MAJOR GENERAL FEBRUARY 13 1862
TO RANK FROM JAN. FOURTEENTH 1862
LT. GENERAL OCT. THIRTEENTH 1862
TO RANK FROM OCTOBER TENTH 1862
From the NRHP nomination form:
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Structure Number: |
HS-003 |
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LCS ID: |
007256 |
Historical Significance:
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National Register Status:
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Entered - Documented
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National Register Date:
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12/09/1977
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National Historic Landmark?: |
No
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Significance Level:
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Contributing
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Short Significance Description:
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The Pemberton Statue contributes to the national significance of the park under NR Criteria A & B because it represents the national movement among veterans and related groups to commemorate major Civil War battlefields and leaders.
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Short Physical Description
28" x 24" x 96" bronze sculpture (standing with left hand at waist) on a two-piece 50" x 50" x 60" gray granite pedestal. PEMBERTON on statue base. Pedestal contains bronze inscription tablet.
Material(s)
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Structural Component(s)
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Material(s)
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1.
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Superstructure
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Bronze
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2.
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Substructure
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Concrete
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2.
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Superstructure
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Granite
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Construction Period:
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Historic
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Chronology:
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Physical Event
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Begin Year
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Begin Year AD/BC
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End Year
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End Year AD/BC
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Designer
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Designer Occupation
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1.
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Built
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1917
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AD
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Quinn, Edmund T.
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Sculptor
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My Sources
1. Wikipedia -
Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton
2. Wikipedia -
Siege of Vicksburg
3. The Civil War Home -
The Vicksburg Campaign - Confederate Order of Battle
4. National Register Application -
NRHP