Lieut. General John C. Pemberton, (sculpture) - Vicksburg National Military Park
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
N 32° 21.103 W 090° 51.132
15S E 702113 N 3581450
This bronze and granite sculpture is the main feature within Pemberton Circle - just off the main Confederate Avenue Tour Road.
Waymark Code: WMN63Y
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 01/02/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 4

From Wikipedia:
(visit link)

"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. 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."

From Smithsonian Website:
(visit link)

"Sculptor:
Quinn, Edmond Thomas 1869-1929 (possibly by)
Founder:Roman Bronze Works

Subject:
Pemberton, John C

Medium:
Figure: bronze; Base: grey and black granite

Type:
Sculptures-Outdoor Sculpture
Sculptures

Owner/Location:
Administered by United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Washington District of Columbia
Administered by Vicksburg National Military Park 3201 Clay Street, Box 349 Vicksburg Mississippi 39180
Located Vicksburg National Military Park Confederate Avenue, south of Mississippi Memorial Vicksburg Mississippi

Date:
Dedicated 1917

Topic:
History--United States--Civil War
Portrait male--Full length
Occupation--Military--Lieutenant General

Control number:
IAS MS000282

Notes:
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Mississippi survey, 1993
National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MS7111, 1989

Summary:
Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton stands dressed in military uniform, with a mustache and beard. He wears a broad-rimmed hat, gloves, and knee-length boots, his proper right hand touching the belt of his buttoned, knee-length coat. The figure is placed on top of a two-sectioned base with an inscribed plaque on the upper front, set upon a foundation.

Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums"

Text on front plaque of statue:

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
TITLE: Lieut. General John C. Pemberton, (sculpture)

ARTIST(S): Quinn, Edmond Thomas 1869-1929 (possibly by); Founder:Roman Bronze Works

DATE: Dedicated 1917

MEDIUM: Figure: bronze; Base: grey and black granite

CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MS000282

Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]

PHYSICAL LOCATION:
3201 Clay Street Vicksburg, Ms. 39183 The Memorial is located in the middle of Pemberton Circle off Confederate Avenue Tour Road.


DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
none noted


Visit Instructions:
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