REVISITING GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY · 2020. 8. 31. · REVISITING GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY . Phil Schlegel . ... for Gen. Berry–received during the latter part of his stay in Portland.

REVISITING GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY Phil Schlegel

Joshua L. Chamberlain Round Table website readers may recall that the May 2020 “Civil War History” tab featured the Battle of

Chancellorsville and the death of Major General Hiram G. Berry of Rockland, Maine, who was killed by a Confederate sharpshooter on May 3, 1863. General Berry’s remains were returned to Rockland and interred at Achorn Cemetery. Travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic precluded including original photos of General Berry’s memorial statue and gravestone with the original May 2020 “Civil War History” post so they

are included here. (Photos of General Berry’s memorial statue and pedestal by author.) It soon became evident that the story behind the memorial statue of General Berry that adorns the family plot at Achorn Cemetery in Rockland had become a foray into the fine art of sculpture. The memorial statue is an early work by the prominent Maine-born (1839) sculptor Franklin Simmons. An April 17, 1868, Lewiston Evening Journal story reported that: The first recognition the sculptor’s genius received, which gave him confidence in success and a hope that he was not born to starve, was the order to execute a statue for Gen. Berry–received during the latter part of his stay in Portland. He had previously made a small model of plaster, his eye guided only by a photograph, which so pleased Gen. Berry’s friends, that they raised the necessary funds, and in November, 1865, Simmons’ first public statue was erected–indeed the first public statue in Maine–that of the late Hiram G. Berry, at his native city of Rockland.1 Franklin Simmons’ contribution to preserving and memorializing history through sculpture is extensive. For Mainers, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Monument Square and the Henry Wadsworth

Longfellow monument at Longfellow Square, both in Portland, are fine examples of his work. These and other examples are pictured below.

Franklin Simmons's Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument was built in 1891 in Portland, Maine's, Monument Square. [Also known as "Our Lady of Victories," it is a bronze statue mounted on a granite base, depicting a female figure, clad in armor covered by flowing robes, who is an allegorical representation of Victory. The monument honors soldiers and sailors from Maine who were killed in the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s.] Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, reproduction number LC-DIG-highsm-45731.

Sculptural details on Franklin Simmons's Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument was built in 1891 in Portland, Maine's, Monument Square. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, reproduction number LC-DIG-highsm-45732.

Monument to 19th Century American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Portland, Maine's, Longfellow Square. [Longfellow, whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride," "The Song of Hiawatha," and "Evangeline," was born in Portland in 1807. Franklin Simmons began the design and construction of the monument in 1885, three years after the poet's death, with a pedestal designed by Francis H. Fassett.] Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, reproduction number LC-DIG-highsm-45712.

Numerous other Franklin Simmons sculptures adorn Capitol Hill. Among them are a statue of General Grant commissioned by the GAR, at the Capitol Rotunda. Of particular significance to our Maine readers are a statue of Maine Governor William King at the Capitol Building and a bust of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, which is part of the United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection, all of which can be seen at the links below: General Grant: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/ulysses-s-grant Governor William King: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/william-king Vice President Hannibal Hamlin: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Sculpture_22_00015.htm 1 “Simmons the Sculptor: His departure for Europe―sketch of his artistic career,” Lewiston Evening Journal - 1868-04-17, April 17, 1868, Lewiston, Androscoggin County, ME, USA. (Source: Maine Newspapers, 1861-2008, MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd.)

The Peace Monument, Washington, D.C. [The Peace Monument, originally known as the Naval Monument or Civil War Sailors Monument, sits on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Peace Circle at First Street, N.W., and Pennsylvania Avenue. Executed in Rome by Franklin Simmons after a sketch by Admiral David D. Porter, the 44 foot high white marble memorial was erected in 1877-1878 to commemorate the naval deaths at sea during the American Civil War.] Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, reproduction number LC-DIG-highsm-04493.

An equestrian statue honoring John A. Logan stands in the center of Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, reproduction number LC-DIG-highsm-10431. [The National Park Service provides an interesting discussion of General John Logan and Franklin Simmons’ sculpture at https://www.nps.gov/nama/john-logan-memorial.htm.]

* * * * *

For more information see a June 30, 2019, Lewiston Sun Journal article (Steve Collins, “Franklin Simmons: A forgotten giant of American sculpture got his start in Lewiston”). An internet search will, of course, yield much information. An interesting article (Lilian Whiting, “Franklin Simmons, Sculptor”) appeared in the December 1909 edition of Twentieth Century Magazine, which is available through the Internet Archive (see page 201): https://archive.org/details/twentiethcentur35unkngoog/page/n217/mode/2up. A paper entitled “Franklin, Simmons, Sculptor,” by Henry S. Burrage, Maine State Historian, read before the Maine Historical Society on March 30, 1922, discussed General Berry’s statue in considerable detail. Henry Burrage’s paper was printed in Maine Historical Memorials, which is available through the Internet Archive (see page 109, the statue of General Berry, page 115–117): (https://archive.org/details/mainehistoricalm00burriala/page/n10/mode/2up).

Achorn Cemetery, Rockland, Maine.