The William Moultrie statue is a

monumental statue A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Located in

White Point Garden White Point Garden is a 5.7 acre public park located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina, at the tip of the peninsula. It is the southern terminus for the Battery, a defensive seawall and promenade. It is bounded by East Battery (to the ...

, the statue was unveiled in 2007 and honors William Moultrie, a general in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

History

William Moultrie was a general in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

. In 1776, he earned fame for his victory in the

Battle of Fort Sullivan The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from America ...

, one of the first American victories in the war. The fort would later be called Fort Moultrie in his honor. Following the war, he served multiple terms as

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

and published a memoir of his experiences in the war. He died in 1805. There had been multiple attempts to erect a

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

in honor of Moultrie, including in 1829, the early 1900s, and 1975, but none came to fruition. Starting in 1998, a descendant of Moultrie started another push to erect a statue in Moultrie's honor, and in 2000, a committee for the creation of such a statue was organized by members of the local chapters of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, the

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

, and the Sons of the American Revolution. Over the next several years, the committee raised approximately $250,000 for the creation of a statue. Local

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

John Ney Michel was hired to design the statue, while Christopher Liberatos designed the pedestal. Ward Sculptural Arts Foundry in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

the statue. In April 2007, the capstan of the USS ''Maine'' was removed from its location in

, which would serve as the location for the monument. The dedication for the monument was held on June 28, 2007 (

Carolina Day The following are minor or locally celebrated holidays related to the American Revolution. A Great Jubilee Day A Great Jubilee Day, first organized May 26, 1783 in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, celebrated end of major fighting in th ...

) in a ceremony that attracted several hundred. The ceremony had been planned around the Carolina Day celebrations, as often the annual celebrations are held around ''

The Defenders of Fort Moultrie ''The Defenders of Fort Moultrie'', also commonly known as the Jasper Monument, is a monument in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Located in White Point Garden, the monument depicts Sergeant William Jasper and was dedicated in 1877 ...

'' monument in White Point Garden. Former Bishop

C. FitzSimons Allison Christopher FitzSimons Allison (born March 5, 1927) is a retired American Anglican bishop and an author. He is known for his role in the Anglican realignment, which led to his participation in the controversial consecration in 2000 of two bishops ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina (EDOSC), known as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina from January 2013 until September 2019, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church. The diocese covers an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the ...

dedicated and

blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

the monument, and five wreaths were laid at the base of the monument from five organizations responsible for erecting the monument. Both former Governor

James B. Edwards James Burrows Edwards (June 24, 1927 – December 26, 2014) was an American politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected governor of South Carolina since the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era in the ...

and

Mayor of Charleston The Mayor is the highest elected official in Charleston, South Carolina. Since the city's incorporation in 1783, Charleston's chief executive officer has been elected directly by qualified voters, except for the years 1867–1868, when mayors w ...

Joseph P. Riley Jr. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr. (born January 19, 1943) is an American politician who was the Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. He was one of the longest serving mayors in the United States that is still living, having served 10 terms starting on Dec ...

praised the monument, and further celebrations in honor of Moultrie were held later that day at nearby Fort Moultrie. The monument is located near the '' Confederate Defenders of Charleston'' monument in White Point Garden.

Design

The monument consists of an

of Moultrie atop a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

pedestal. The front of the pedestal bears the inscription "MOULTRIE", while the other three sides contain inscriptions of the names of the organizations responsible for the monument's creation and a brief biography of Moultrie's life. Beneath the biography is the date of the monument's dedication, "June 28, 2007". The statue faces Charleston Harbor and depicts Moultrie with his hat in his hand and his sword in his sheath.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{coord, 32.76971, -79.92889, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-SC, display=title 2007 establishments in South Carolina 2007 sculptures American Revolutionary War monuments and memorials Bronze sculptures in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Charleston, South Carolina Monuments and memorials in South Carolina Outdoor sculptures in South Carolina Sculptures of men in South Carolina Statues in South Carolina Tourist attractions in Charleston, South Carolina

History

Design

See also

References

Bibliography

External links