Gettysburg Sculptures

The Virginia Memorial's bronzes are some of the most detailed on the Gettysburg Battlefield. F. William Sievers, the sculptor included many items of war as seen below.

12 pound cannon ball

In the bronze "group" in the front of the Virginia Memorial a 12 pound cannon ball has destroyed a cannon carriage.

An original 12 pound solid shot cannon ball. It measures approximately 4.62" (117 mm) in diameter and would have been fired from a Model 1857, 12-Pounder "Napoleon" cannon seen below.

Recently added, a stack of cannon balls sits beside this smoothbore bronze cannon located in the National Cemetery.

 A 12 pound solid shot lodged in a large tree next to the Sherfy House south of Gettysburg. This c1880's albumen photo was originally in the collection of a Grand Army of the Republic Post that was located near Chicago Il. It was sold at auction in 1957.

Sievers would add small details like fragments of exploded shell also known as shrapnel laying on the base.

Made of iron, some artillery shells were designed to explode. This explosion would create pieces that were intended to strike soldiers or horses. 

 

On the right side (if viewing the Northern battleline to the east) of the bronze group of seven can be seen a southern soldier tearing a paper cartridge with his teeth.

Most Civil War muskets and rifled muskets were loaded from the muzzle. A soldier would take a paper cartridge that included the powder and lead bullet, tear the end and pour the powder down the barrel. The soldier then would insert the lead bullet into the muzzle of the weapon and ram it down with a metal ramrod. The soldier would then place a percussion cap on the nipple located below the hammer and prepare to fire. A well trained civil war soldier could fire 3 rounds per minute.

With his eyes fixed on his target, a southern soldier tears a paper cartridge.

Civil War Paper Cartridge approximately 2.75" (70 mm) long. 

The soldier would place the flap or tab of the paper cartridge between his teeth and tear the paper exposing the powder. The soldier would then continue the loading process as noted previously.

 Sievers also included in great detail the main infantry weapon of the civil war, the rifled musket. The lock plate on several rifles looks much like the originals and details the progression of preparing to fire the rifle.

Above, the hammer is closed as this figure on the memorial is depicted loading his rifle.

Closed hammer.

The hammer is open as this soldier depicted on the memorial prepares to locate a target.

Open hammer waiting to be fired.

After loading the rifle (using a paper cartridge) the soldier would place a "percussion cap" on the nipple of the rifle that the hammer would strike.

The nipple below the hammer.

A percussion cap placed on the nipple ready to be fired.

A percussion cap as seen above was made of copper approximately 1/4" in diameter. They resembled a tiny hat. Inside these caps were a detonating composition. When struck by the rifle's hammer, a spark would pass thru the hollow nipple and ignite the powder in the breech of the rifle.

The percussion caps where issued to the soldiers wrapped in a paper sleeve. The soldier would remove the caps from this wrapper and place them into his leather percussion cap box. This percussion cap box was worn on the waist belt to the right of the belt buckle.

 A percussion cap box as modeled by Sievers resembles the original as seen below. The finial used to secure the outer flap can also be seen.

An original Civil War leather percussion cap box and percussion caps. The outer leather flap was secured by a brass finial preventing the caps from being lost.