Sam Davis Statue

The Sam Davis Statue is a historic bronze statue of Sam Davis, the "Boy Hero of the Confederacy," outside the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sam Davis Statue
The Sam Davis Statue in 2006
Sam Davis Statue Sam Davis Statue
Artist	George Julian Zolnay
Year	1909
Location	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
	36°9′54.35″N 86°47′3.25″W

History

Its commission was first suggested by Sumner Archibald Cunningham, the founding editor of Confederate Veteran.[1] It was designed by sculptor George Julian Zolnay.[1] Built with bronze, it is nine feet tall on top of a marble pedestal.[1] The western plaque includes lines from a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.[1] The monument cost almost $8,000 to build.[2] The bronze sculpture cost $4,000 and the marble pedestal $3,000.[1]

The dedication was held on April 29, 1909.[1][3] It was attended by thousands (between 3,000 and 5,000), including members of the Davis family, Confederate veterans in uniform, and members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.[1] Major Eugene C. Lewis introduced Governor Malcolm R. Patterson, who gave a speech praising Davis.[1] Lewis then read a letter by Colonel Hume R. Field.[1] It was followed by a prayer by Reverend James Hugh McNeilly of Glen Leven Presbyterian Church.[1] Finally, Davis's grandniece, Elizabeth Ewing Davis, unveiled the statue by taking off the Confederate flags covering it.[1]

2017 protest

On August 28, 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesters covered the statue, but the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Nashville Fire Department uncovered it half an hour later.[4]

See also

• Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust inside the Tennessee State Capitol
• Statue of Sam Davis at Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville

References

1. "STATUE OF GALLANT SAM DAVIS NOW ADORNS THE STATE CAPITOL. Unveiling Ceremonies Marked by Simplicity and Are Very Impressive. Thousands Gather On Historic Spot to Honor Tennessee's Young Hero. Grizzled Veterans, Daughters of the Confederacy and Little Children". The Tennessean. April 30, 1909. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved September 7, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Allison, Natalie (August 29, 2017). "There's another Confederate statue at the Tennessee Capitol. Here's what you need to know". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
3. Ramsay, Lisa R.; Vaughn, Tammy L. (2011). Tennessee's Dixie Highway: The Cline Postcards. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 9780738587691. OCLC 729341443.
4. Allison, Natalie (August 28, 2017). "Protesters block Broadway, cover Confederate statue in Nashville". The Tennessean. p. 1. Retrieved September 1, 2017.