Smith’s 4th NY Restoration at the GNMP Monument Shop: Part 2
October 28, 2011
In yesterday’s post, we showed you how the National Park Service used this replica statue in Manchester, New Hampshire, to cast a new head and other pieces for the 4th New York Artillery monument. Here is a view of the wax mold we showed you yesterday being removed from the Manchester replica. This view was taken at approximately 2:40 PM on Wednesday, August 10, 2011.
Wednesday afternoon, Gettysburg National Military Park Monument Preservation Supervisor Lucas Flickinger, and Management Assistant Katie Lawhon, showed the Gettysburg Daily some of the molds and bronze pieces that were created to reconstruct the monument to Captain James Smith’s 4th New York Independent Battery. They also provided an update on the damaged piece to the monument to the 11th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The 4th New York, located at Devil’s Den, the 11th Massachusetts, located at the junction of the Sickles Avenue and the Emmitsburg Road, and the 114th Pennsylvania were damaged by vandals on the evening of February 16, 2006. When they attacked the 4th New York Monument, the vandals pulled the bronze statue from its granite base, and dragged it 162 feet. They also pulled off the head and the rammer from the statue. The National Park Service has created casts from an identical artilleryman, created by the sculptor Casper Buberl, that is located in Manchester, New Hampshire. The arm to the top of the 11th Massachusetts is still awaiting the creation of a plaster cast. The 114th Pennsylvania has been put back at its location along the Emmitsburg Road at the Sherfy Farm.
In part one of this behind-the-scenes look, GNMP Monument Preservation Supervisor Lucas Flickinger explains to us the involved process in restoring the Smith Battery monument.
Today, in part two, we’ll take a look at the current status of one of the other monuments vandalized in the 2006 incident, the 11th Massachusetts. We’ll also show you detailed photos of the casting process from the Montana foundry, as well as hear about the Park Service’s plans to protect these and other monuments from vandalism in the future.
This map shows the location of the National Park Service Maintenance Area (Star labeled “M”) where the pieces of the monuments awaiting restoration are stored, and where the videos were shot. The star labeled “4NY” shows the location of the monument to Captain James Smith’s 4th New York Independent Battery at Devil’s Den. The star labeled “114” shows the location of the monument to the 114th Pennsylvania monument at the Sherfy Farm. The star labeled “11M” shows the location of the monument to the 11th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment at the junction of the Emmitsburg Road and Sickles Avenue.
Before we take a look at the monument, Lucas Flickinger highlighted some of the challenges for both the cannon and monument preservation shops at Gettysburg National Military Park.
The 11th Massachusetts Monument is on the far left of this image, as it appeared circa 1900, with sword and arm adorning the monument’s top.
The vandals shattered the arm and stole the sword in the 2006 vandalism incident.This view was taken facing east at approximately 4:10 PM on Tuesday, February 16, 2011.
National Military Park Monument Preservation Supervisor Lucas Flickinger pulls out the 11th Massachusetts arm for us, and explains its current status.
Here is how the arm currently looks in the National Park Service Monument Shop. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
This view was taken facingsouthwest at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
This view was facing southeast at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
Lucas Flickinger further explains the casting process, and explains the photos you will be seeing below.
The following 8 photographs from the National Park Service trip to a Montana foundry were discussed by Lucas Flickinger in the previous video. As always, you can click on these images to enlarge them. This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
This view was taken at approximately 4:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, and is courtesy of the National Park Service.
We are obviously pleased to see and hear about the progress on restoring these monuments to the battlefield, but like many of you who emailed us yesterday, we were wondering … This view was taken at approximately 5:25 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
… what will be done to prevent vandalism to the 4th NY and other monuments from happening again once they are returned to the field? GNMP Management Assistant Katie Lawhon was happy to answer our question.
