Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks - Waltham, MA - U.S. Civil War General Statues on Waymarking.com

In Waltham, on Waltham Common, is this statue for General Nathaniel P. Banks, who grew up in Waltham and was a General in the U.S. Civil War.

The common is bounded by Main Street, Moody Street, Elm Street and Central Street. The statue is visible from Moody Street and is located in an open area.

The bronze statue is situated on a stone base, surrounded by bushes and an iron fence. The statue figure is looking west over Moody Street. He is standing and has his hand in his coat while his other hand is grasping on papers and resting on the arm of a chair represented in the stone.

A Wikipedia article has Bank's biography.

He was born on January 30, 1816 and died September 1, 1894. He grew up in Waltham where his father worked. As a child, he worked as a "Bobbin Boy," a child who would dart into the loom machinery to replace empty bobbins with full ones while the machine is still running. He acquired the nickname, "Bobbin Boy," which he kept to the end. He joined the new Republican Party and was elected a U.S. Representativ8-1861e in Congress and rose to Speaker of the House in 1856 and 1857. He was also Governor of Massachusetts from 1858 to 1861.

When the Civil War began, Abraham appointed him a major general of Massachusetts Volunteers. He was resented by other men who graduated from West Point; however, his political advantage helped bring in recruits and money needed to build the Union Army.

He was first in charge of portions of Maryland, quelling any secessionist activities and keeping Maryland on the Union side. He was involved in the Shennandoah Campaign against Confederate General Jackson and did poorly.

He was later part of the Northern Virginia Campaign against
under General Pope. Banks had mixed results against A.P. Hill. Later, he was transferred to Washington D.C. to command the defensive forces there. In 1862, he was assigned to the Army of the Gulf to hold New Orleans and area. He also had his part in the Siege of Port Hudson and Red River Campaign, after which he was removed from command.

He helped reorganize Louisiana in 1863. He helped rewrite the state's constitution and organized the first elections. He then went to Washington D.C. to argue for Louisiana's readmission, but Congress wouldn't accept the delegates. After this, Banks went back to Louisiana but found things not to his liking and retired back to Waltham.

He is buried in Grove Hill Cemetery.

Source:

Wikipedia (Nathaniel P. Banks):
(visit link)

Union or Confederacy: Union - North General's Name: Nathaniel P. Banks

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/07/2017 BikeCamera visited it