Samuel A'Court Ashe Monument, Raleigh
The monument consists of two bronze bas-relief plaques mounted on a large granite block. The tablet on the front is imprinted with a portrait of Ashe; both the front and back have detailed inscriptions. The monument is located on the State Capitol grounds.
Images:
Front plaque |
Rear plaque
Front: SAMUEL A'COURT ASHE LL.D. / 1840 - 1938 / PATRIOT - SOLDIER - HISTORIAN - EDITOR - CHRISTIAN CITIZEN / CAPTAIN AND ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL OF PENDER'S STAFF. C.S.A. / HEROIC DEFENDER OF FORT WAGNER / AND TWICE CITED FOR CONSPICUOUS SERVICE IN THE BATTLES OF CEDAR RUN / AND SECOND MANASSAS. / BRIGADIER GENERAL AND VICE COMMANDER OF THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS. / THE LAST SURVIVING COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY. /
HE WAS A WORTHY REPRESENTATIVE OF A LINE OF PATRIOTIC MEN /
OF HIS NAME WHO RENDERED DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO STATE AND COUNTRY. /
ETERNALLY YOUNG, ALWAYS THE FRIEND AND INSPIRER OF YOUTH. / FEW MEN HAVE LIVED SO MANY YEARS, HONORED AND LOVED THROUGH THEM ALL. / A LIFE WHICH HAS ENRICHED THE SOUTH AND THE NATION. / A LOVER OF PEACE, AND VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH.
Rear: THIS MONUMENT PLACED / WITH THE AFFECTION AND ESTEEM OF MANY / FRIENDS THROUGHOUT NORTH CAROLINA / AND THE NATION, WAS UNVEILED SEPT. 13, 1940, / THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF / CAPT. ASHE'S BIRTH. /
THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE ASHE MEMORIAL COMMITTEE / BY THEIR LOYAL WORK AND INFLUENCE HAVE HELPED TO MAKE / POSSIBLE THIS MEMORIAL. / HON. GEORGE GORDON BATTLE, CHAIRMAN / MRS. MARY WINDER OSBORNE, SECRETARY AND TREASURER / HON. JOSEPHUS DANIELS / UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO / HON. HERIOT CLARKSON / JUSTICE N.C. SUPREME COURT / HON. ERNEST M. GREEN / PRESIDENT N.C. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI / HON. WALTER MURPHY / N.C. STATE SENATOR / MRS. LEWIS E. FISHER / PRESIDENT N.C. DIVISION U.D.C. / HON. WM. GRAHAM JARVIS / HON. THOMAS DIXON
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
September 13, 1940
35.780700 , -78.639190
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"Samuel A'Court Ashe, LL. D (1840-1938)," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.com, (accessed December 13, 2011) Link
"Samuel A'Court Ashe," Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museum, SIRIS, sirismm.si.edu, (accessed December 13, 2011) Link
The Memorial to S. A. Ashe, (Raleigh, NC, 1910), (accessed May 16, 2012) Link
Battle, George Gordon. "Samuel A'Court Ashe of North Carolina: Address by George Gordon Battle at the Unveiling of the Memorial Tablet to Samuel A'Court Ashe at the Capitol Square in Raleigh on September 13, 1940," North Carolina Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carlisle, Linda A. "North Carolina State Capitol Memorial Study Committee Report," North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, May 2010, (accessed October 3, 2017) Link
Clarkson, Heriot. Memorial to Capt. Samuel A'Court Ashe in Capitol Square, Raleigh, NC, (NC: 1941), (accessed February 2, 2012) Link
Yes
Bronze, Wake County granite
North Carolina General Assembly (Funds raised privately), Ashe Memorial Committee
$3,017
Samuel Ashe was a Confederate soldier who became a captain during the Civil War, most notably leading the Confederate defense of Fort Wagner, South Carolina. Later in life he became the first newspaper editor of the News and Observer as well as an historian and statesman. He assisted in the authoring of an eight volume history of North Carolina. He died on August 31, 1938 at the age of 98, and the monument was presented the public on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
In recent years, the Capitol Square's lack of diversity, particularly in regard to monuments honoring deceased Confederate soldiers and leaders like Ashe, has led to the decision of the North Carolina State Capitol Memorial Study Committee to issue a report to the North Carolina Historical Commission calling for new monuments to be built to honor people and causes that exemplify North Carolina's diversity.
The memorial to Samuel Ashe is located near the Confederate Monument and the Henry Lawson Wyatt Monument in the western part of the Capitol Square.
The memorial is on a level plain in the Capitol Square near a walkway and near a couple of medium size trees and a park bench.
The General Assembly of North Carolina ratified an act to create a monument in honor of Samual A'Court Ashe on March 6, 1939. The Ashe Memorial Committee was comprised of statesmen, educators, politicians, and others who wanted to maintain Ashe's legacy and to honor the last living officer of the Confederate Army. George Gordon Battle was the chairman of the Ashe Memorial Committee and speaker at the dedication ceremony.
The Gorham Company was paid over $1,600 to construct the bronze tablet. The granite portion of the monument cost a total of $885.00 and was paid by a man named Mr. Arnaiz. Other expenses respecting the construction of the monument added an additional $500.00.
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