South Defenders

A piece of art that caught my attention was the South’s Defenders Confederate Monument located on the Courthouse lawn in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The bronze statue, which is 6 foot tall and weighs 200 pounds, was made by the W.H. Mullins Co., Salem, Ohio, John Segesman, chief sculptor (Jones, 2010).

The first Confederate descendants’ organization in Lake Charles was Robert E. Lee Chapter 305, United Daughters of the Confederacy, which was founded in 1899. It raised the funds for the monument. The South's Defender's Confederate Monument was dedicated on 3 June 1915 on the grounds of the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Today, 3 June, is the official Confederate Memorial Day in Louisiana. It is important we continue to remember thecourage and sacrifice of our gallant heroes in gray, who gave their all to defend their homes and families. They gave all for us so that we might inherit a land where the principles of 1776 were still alive and well.

The six-foot, 200-pound bronzed copper statue of a Confederate color-bearer rests on an ornate marble pedestal and five-tiered marble base adorned with decorative cannon balls. This piece of art is considered classicism, the style of a specific era in the history of humanities (Janaro & Altshuler, 2009). The front of the monument is embossed with the words "The South's Defenders. Lower down are the war years, 1861-1865 and "Our Heroes." On the back of the monument are the words "Unveiled June 3, 1915." Under this are listed the officers and members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) Chapter 305. Statues cast in bronze shows that classical artists could also imitate real people. Stone and marble were abundant in the classical world, and artists made generous use of these media (Janaro & Altshuler, 2009).

The monument was proudly rededicated June 3, 1995 by many of the descendants of these same people. The South's Defenders was erected in tribute to the memory of the dead of the...