Dedicated: Sept. 19, 1902.
Location: Steven’s Knoll near Culp’s Hill.
Description: An equestrian portrait of General Slocum standing on the knoll where he directed the movements of his soldiers in the XII Corps. The general is depicted holding his hat in his proper right hand and holding the horse’s reins in his proper left hand. The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular base adorned with two bronze inscription plaques. The granite base was designed by A. J. Zabriskie and was constructed Tayntor & Company. The base consists of Gettysburg granite.
National Park Service List of Classified Monuments Number: MN312.
Sculptor: Potter, Edward Clark, 1857-1923, sculptor.
About Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum
Born on September 24, 1827 in Onondaga County, New York, Slocum worked as a teacher until he was appointed to West Point. He graduated in 1848; his room-mate was General Philip Sheridan. Slocum left the army to become an attorney in Syracuse, New York.
His Civil War career began with command of the 27th New York; he was badly wounded at First Bull Run and was given a brigade when he recovered. He led a division in the VI corps during the Seven Days Campaign. By the time of Gettysburg, Slocum was the senior major general of the Army of the Potomac. He commanded the Army’s right wing and became famous for his response to Meade’s question at the July 2 Council of War: “Stay and fight it out.”
Slocum and his corps were transferred west after Gettysburg. He was in charge of Atlanta when the city fell to Union forces. He later commanded the Army of Georgia in Sherman’s March to the Sea.
After the War, Slocum returned to practicing law and served several terms as a Congressman. He was an important proponent of the Brooklyn Bridge and was a member of the New York Monuments Commission for the battlefield of Gettysburg. Slocum died on April 14, 1894, of liver disease. There is an equestrian monument to him in Brooklyn, New York.
Other Monuments: Equestrian | Headquarters