Plan to unveil Lincoln statue irks Sons of Confederate Veterans
12/27/2002
RICHMOND, Va. - Abraham Lincoln, who visited the seat of the Confederacy soon after Southern forces abandoned the city in flames in April 1865, is returning to the capital, much to the chagrin of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
A bronze statue of the Civil War president and his youngest child, Tad, will be unveiled April 5, the 138th anniversary of Lincoln's only visit to Richmond.
The statue shows Lincoln sitting on a bench with his right arm around his 12-year-old son, who gazes at his father's face. It was commissioned by the U.S. Historical Society, which works on behalf of museums, educational institutions and foundations on projects with historic significance and artistic value.
"Here is a national hero, a small boy, and a beautiful city by the James River, all united again," said Robert Kline, chairman of the society. "This time Lincoln's in Richmond for all time."
The Sons of Confederate Veterans view the statue as "a slap in the face of a lot of brave men and women who went through four years of unbelievable hell fighting an invasion of Virginia led by President Lincoln," Brag Bowling, the group's Virginia commander, said Thursday.
Richmond, home to towering statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and other Confederate leaders, was attacked by the Union forces of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on April 2, 1865. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled the city. Confederate soldiers set fire to Richmond's warehouses and arsenals to deny the supplies to the federals.
On April 4, Lincoln and Tad traveled to Richmond from Union military headquarters nearby.
With Richmond still smoldering, Lincoln, wearing his signature black silk top hat, and Tad walked to the White House of the Confederacy. The war ended five days later when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C., 10 days after he visited Richmond.
The life-size statue of Lincoln and Tad by sculptor David Frech will show the two seated on a bench against a plain granite wall. The words "To Bind Up The Nation's Wounds" will be etched into a granite capstone.
The historical society will donate the statue to the Civil War Visitor Center of the National Park Service. The center is on the site of Tredegar Iron Works, a major supplier of munitions to the Confederate army. The statue will be placed outdoors on a hillside overlooking the James River.
Elaine Mancini, spokeswoman for the historical society, said the cost of the statue had not been determined. The society will cover the cost and is raising money by selling solid bronze miniatures of the statue, she said.
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