Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-10-28
From the Richmond Dispatch of Sunday
STATUE OF WICKHAM.
THE GENERAL IN BRONZE TO BE IN
YELLED NEXT THURSDAY,
HISTORY OF THE MEMORIAL.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE AND PEDEs
TAL-A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

TAL-A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
On Thursday next, the 29th, the survi.
vors of Wickham's cavalry brigade and
other ex Confsderates and the employees OF
the Chesapeake aud Ohio railway will mite
in demonstration i'll honor of Williams
Carter Wickham, bronze statue of whom
will be unveiled on that day.
The ex Confederates will honor him as
sturdy fighter and popular brigade com.
msnder who never fiinched in the hour oil
danger. The railway employees will honor
him as kind, considerable, and Just EN-.
ployer and friend. Both will honor him as
a Citizen who held Virginia dear to his
heart.
The demonstration promises to ba in
every respect most imposing one. All
the survivors of his brigade who can come
to Richmond and ell tee employees of the
road. Including eugineers, clerks, coudue.
tors, brakemen, and laborers who can be
spared from their duties, will participate in
the parade of the day, and these will be
escorted to the site of the statue BY the uni.
formed military of the city.
Gen. Thos. L. Rosser will be the chief
marshal of the procession and Gen, Fitz.
Lee will deliver the grafton.
The rereiIe will be sounded by the old
brigade bugler, and there will be an artil.
lery salute.
HISTORY OF THE STATUE.
Gen. Williams G. Wickham died of
heart.failure in his Office in the Chesapeake
and Ohio railway building in this city on
Tuesday, July "a, 1888. A few days after
his death the employees of the road of which
he had bsen president, ice-president, gen
eral manager, and receiver, respectively,
held a meeting, organized a Wickham
Monument Association, and determined to
erect statue of their late employer.
Mr.. John Callahan was made president
Of the association and Mr.. @. T. Dabney
secretary and treasurer. Subscription lists
were prepared and sent out, and contribu.
tions from twenty. five cents upwards be
gan to pour in, even the track laborers on
the road giving their mite. Many of the
employees of the road were survivors of the
Generals brigade, and numbers of his old
troopers who were not connected with the
road aided in raising the necessary funds
for the memorial.
In September, 1889, Valentine was com.
missiored by the association to execute
bronze figure of Gen. Wckhau, and in
the December following the City Council
by resolution requested that Richmond
might become the custodian of the monu.
ment. In March, 1890, however, the Gene
raj Assembly made similar request on be.
half of the State, and dedicated such place
in the Capitol Square as the association
might select as a site for the statue.
PRESENTED TO THE CITY.
These two propositions were held uuder
consideration by the association until Feb,
1891, when the committee of the associa-
ton appointed to make decision and con.
sistipg of Messrs. John Callahan, G. E.
Wexford, W. 81. Anthony, W. P. Huntley,
and Henry G. Taylor, Jr., concluded to
present the statue to the city. Subsequent
ly the Council met and accepted the trust:
and after voting $1,000 for tho pedestal
empowered the Committee on Grounds
and Buildings to select site for the monu-
ment in one of the public parks. This
committee gave careful consideration to
the matter and ffoaily concluded, as had
the committee Of the association, that Mon
roe Park was the proper place for the stat
ne, seeing shat that site had beea the first
exhibition grounds of the State Agricultur.
al Society, of which society Gen. Wckham
had at one time been president and With
which he had been closely identified nearly
ever since its organization.
THE MONUMENT.
Wednesday morning the statue was de.
lvered according to contract within rea oh
of the tackle at the pedestal and in the
course of few hours was placed il posi-.
ton without accident aud yelled.
The fgurs is seven feet 10 height and is
of the best quality Of toned bronzs. l. re
presents Gen. Wickham in the full uniform
of Confederate brigadier general of cav
airy, booted aud spared, and with coat
buttoned to the throa'. The weight Of the
body rests on the left foot, the right being
slightly advanced, and the fece is turned
little to the right. Against the right hip
and suspended by strap which goes over
the left shoulder rests, the Generals field
glass case, which is grasped in the bare
left hand with the thumb over the strap
where it 10 attached to the front of the
case. The sword is caught full up to the
belt by the top ring, with hilt in position
to be grssoad on a seconds notice, and the
gauntleted left hand presses against the
back and holds the right hand gauntlet.
THE POSE AND PORTRAITURE.
The pose is easy bat suggestive in every
particular of that solidity, massiveness, and
Wckham. From crown of head to sole OF
firmly planted foot Individuality ia illus
trated. The modelling of the face and head
is vigorous, the portraiture striking and
faithful both IS to EXPRESSION and lines,
aud all she general details of the drapery,
sword belt, straps, sabre, insignia of rank,
&3 /, are carefully worked out. 1t is pro-
nOuncsd by the committee to be a perfect
likeness in lineament and figure, while as
an artistic achievement 1t is triumph.
The pedestal consists Of q base urse of
three nu1. hers, the lowest hsug eight feet
square, a die, and a cap, snS is nine feet
six inches in height. The total height of
pedestal. etatue, and bronze plinth is about
seventies feet, and the general effect is
very Imp s;ve and realistic. Ga the OBJ
verse of tu5 die is the ioscrintion:
WICKHAM
"Soldier, Statesman, Patriot, Friend"
Presented to the City of Richmond
By
Comrades in the Confederate Army
end
Employees Of the Chesapeake and Ohio.
On the reverse il the name
WILKINS GARTER WICKHAM,
with date of birth and death.
The site is in the western part of the
park. and the statue faces west and is in
full view Of the street-approaches from that
direction, as we'll as of the Main and Broad
street approaches.
The granite work was done by Mr..
Michael Byron, and was completed seve raj
days inside of contract limit.
SKETCH OF GENERAL wICKHAM.
Williams Carter Wickham was born in
this city in 1919. He was educated at the
University of Virginia, where he graduated
in law, and began the practice of his pro-
fession at the Hanover bar. He represent.
ed the counties of Heprico and Hanover in
the State Senate before the war, and being
an ardent and prominent Wing, stood for
election as delegate to the convention of
1861 on the anti secession ticket, but was