File:11. The Tennessee Monument Commission Presents the Tennessee-Gettysburg Monument Program, before July 3, 1982 Page 2.jpg (3aa15d83-b353-467d-a188-35cdb98161a6).jpg

White paper with typed black text and a picture of the Tennessee Monument.

During the War Between the States, a major battle was fought just outside the little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This was of course the Battle of Gettysburg which took place on the first, second and third days of July in the year 1863 and was the highwater mark of the war. In that epoch military engagement were the First, Seventh and Fourteenth Tennessee Infantry Regiments who particularly distinguished themselves in Picketts Charge the third day of battle. The military annals of Tennessee note that these Tennessee regiments opened and closed the battle but more important, the first casualty of the battle was a Tennessean, Pvt. Henry Rison Company “B”, 7th. Infantry Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia. We can all agree this war was a tragic era in American History but it did bring about a stronger and more unified nation in the years to follow. Americans are known to fight for their individual beliefs and convictions and this they did in that war, the courage the men in Blue and Gray displayed was comparable to that displayed in the American Revolution. Without that courage this nation would not have been born and this must be recognized. The fact remains that in later wars, the descendants of those men who wore the Blue and Gray stood side by side in order to protect our nation and Old Glory, that too must be recognized. The men who fought did so on the field of honor, in an honorable fashion and so settled their differences in a like manner, that truly is Americanism. Thirty sates, North and South combined, had troops in the battle and all those states have since honored the memory of their sons on the National Military Park at Gettysburg…. All except one, the Volunteer State of Tennessee. Efforts have been made to correct this long overdue oversight and now a group of citizens and organizations known as the Tennessee Monument Commission, not an agency of the state, have combined their forces to do this job… To perpetuate Tennessee heritage on the nation’s most important and most visited National Park. In 1967, Senate Joint Resolution Number 69 was passed by the Eighty-Fifth General Assembly of Tennessee approving a plan to seek voluntary funds from the citizens of our state in order to fund a memorial to be placed at Gettysburg. World famous sculptor, Dr. Felix de Weldon who created such famous monuments as the Iwo Jima Monument, The Alvin York Statue in Nashville and many others all over the world, was chosen to design the Tennessee Monument. Honorary Chairman ex-officio of the commission is the Governor of Tennessee. The design depicts three soldiers, each representing one of the regiments as well as the age variances of the men who took part in the war. The little drummer boy not only represents the younger men who fought but the drummer boys themselves. Many songs and stories including moving pictures have been tributed to the brave little fellows but this monument will be the first to actually monument them. The monument will stand twenty-five feet tall, sixty feet long and eighteen feet wide. The cost will be approximately $175,000, weigh forty tons and be bronzed in Italy. The floor plan will be fashioned in the Shape of Tennessee. Mississippi dedicated her monument October of 1973 leaving Tennessee last. It has been said that the most important monuments dedicated on any battlefield are the first and the last. Although there were no Union Troops from Tennessee in the Battle of Gettysburg, it is indeed a fact that Tennessee courage prevails throughout the state This monument will be “The Tennessee Monument” and represent that image in entirety. Tax exemption status exists. Contributors making a minimum donation of five dollars will receive a handsome certificate acknowledging their action. All donations will be receipted. Donations may be sent to: The Tennessee Monument Commission, Post Office Box 50313, Nashville, Tennessee, 37205, Attention Treasurer. The names of donors will be re-recorded on a parchment roll and this entombed within the confines of the monument… Those who contribute will be able to know that their names are enshrined within the memorial they helped create. The commission was honored to have the acceptance of Captain William P. Lawrence, now Rear Admiral in the Union Sates Navy, as the honorary chairman recently. Admiral Lawrence is well known and respected in Tennessee having recently returned home from Hanoi where he spent six years as a prisoner of war. Admiral Lawrence is well known and respected in Tennessee having recently returned from Hanoi where he spent six years as a prisoner of war. Admiral Lawrence finds the time to help her perpetuate Tennessee heritage as witnessed in his letter of 3 September, 1973.: My dear fellow Tennesseans: Our great State of Tennessee has many proud traditions, one of these being that Tennesseans have always responded to the call of our country in time of war. Our renowned name “The Volunteer State” was earned during the War of 1812 when Tennessee Frontiersmen eagerly joined General Andrew Jackson to help defeat the British at New Orleans. Our state has produced many heroes such as “old Hickory,” Nathan Bedford Forrest, Sam Davis, Alvin C. York and scores of others. Another fine tradition is that Tennessee has always recognized and immortalized those who served with courage in time of war in the interests of our country, therefore, I feel it is not keeping with the ideals and heritage of Tennessee that we are the only state who had sons in the Battle of Gettysburg that has not placed a fitting memorial in the National Military Park honoring those who fought and died there in 1863. A patriotic group of Tennesseans have dedicated themselves to the noble cause of making efforts to having such a memorial placed at Gettysburg in loving memory of the First, Seventh and Fourteenth Tennessee Infantry Regiments that distinguished themselves there. A suitable monument has been designed which was approved by the Tennessee State Building Commission in 1969, a historically proper site has been selected which has been approved by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Tennessee courage and valor was at its highest during the Battle of Gettysburg and we have the responsibility to honor this trait. All that remains now is to obtain the funds through the free contributions of Tennesseans in order to cause the erection of this memorial. I sincerely urge all Tennesseans to respond to this call as they have in the past. Let us live up to our name “The Volunteer State.” Cordially yours, Bill Lawrence

• Keywords: Gettysburg; Gettysburg National Military Park; monuments; memorials; Photography; virtual experience; battlefield