Army of the James Monument - Hopewell, VA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Smithsonian Description:

An obelisk topped with drapery carved in relief, and a cannon ball placed on top. At the base of the obelisk there are military symbols on the north, south, and east sides. Two panels of inscriptions incised on the north and south sides of the base are dedicated to those who lost their lives at the battles of City Point and Petersburg.

The town of City Point, now part of Hopewell, was the Union base of operations for the siege of Petersburg in late 1864 and early 1865. The port at the confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers was the busiest in the world, bakeries provided 100,000 loaves per day to feed soldiers, and multiple hospitals treated the sick and injured. One of the burial sites beside a hospital became what is now City Point National Cemetery.

The Army of the James landed at Bermuda Hundred, a location two miles west of City Point. Led by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, the army attempted to cut communication and transportation lines between Richmond and Petersburg, but only managed to do so temporarily. Once Butler fell back, the Confederate army kept him bottled up at Bermuda Hundred. Butler's only success was a victory at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm. Eventually, though, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant relieved Butler of command and replaced him with Maj. Gen. Edward Ord. Under Ord's command, the Army of the James was present at the fall of Petersburg and was the first unit to enter Richmond. Additionally, Ord pursued Gen. Robert E. Lee to Appomattox, cut off escape routes, and was on-hand for Lee's surrender.

~~~

The construction of this 20 ft. marble monument at City Point was supervised by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler in 1865.

The two inscriptions on the monument read as follows:

Sacred
to the
Lamented Dead
of
The Army
of the James.

_____________

Erected
by the direction of
Maj. Genl. B.F. Butler,

George Suckley,
Surg. U.S. Vols.
Colonel and Medical Director

H.B. Fowler,
Surg. 12. N.H. Vols.
Surgeon in Charge of
Point of Rocks Hospital.

Geo. Jones,
Hospital Chaplain

1865.

TITLE: Army of the James Monument ARTIST(S): Unknown, sculptor DATE: 1865 MEDIUM: Marble CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 68000008 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: City Point National Cemetery 10th Avenue and Davis Street Hopewell, VA 23860 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: Found as described.

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.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.