Sergeant William Jasper - Savannah, GA
N 32° 04.416 W 081° 05.640
17S E 491128 N 3548597
This statue of Irish-American William Jasper is located in the center of Madison Square at the corner of Bull and Charlton Sts in Savannah, GA. Sergeant Jasper was a hero of the United States of America Revolutionary War.
Waymark Code: WM555T
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 11/12/2008
Views: 22
The plaque on the statue reads:
"To the heroic memory of Sergeant William Jasper, who though mortally wounded rescued the colors of his regiment in the assault on the British lines about this city October 9th, 1779. A century has not dimmed the glory of the Irish American Soldier whose last tribute to the civil liberty was his noble life.
1779-1879"
The historical marker nearby reads:
"Sergeant William Jasper, the famed Revolutionary hero, was mortally wounded a few hundred yards northwest of this spot on October 9, 1779, in the ill-fated attack of the American and French forces on the British defenses around Savannah. The monument to Jasper in this Square was unveiled in 1888 with great ceremony.
The 15½ foot bronze statue of Jasper was designed by the distinguished sculptor, Alexander Doyle of New York. The sculptor has depicted the heroic Sergeant bearing the colors of the Second Regiment of South Carolina Continentals during the assault at Savannah. His right hand, in which he holds a sabre, is pressed tight against the bullet wound in his side. Jasper’s bullet-ridden hat lies at his feet. His face, as portrayed by the sculptor, reveals intense suffering and resolute purpose.
The bas relief panels on the North, West and East sides of the monument represent the sculptor’s conception of three episodes in Sergeant Jasper’s Revolutionary career: - the ramparts of Fort Sullivan near Charleston where Jasper, under heavy fire, bravely replaced the flag: the liberation of Patriot prisoners by Jasper and a companion at what is now called Jasper Spring near Savannah: and the dying hero’s last moments after the attack of October 9, 1779."
Website with background information about this Waymark: [Web Link]
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