New Orleans Know-It-All

I have an inquiry regarding the Jackson Monument in Jackson Square, New Orleans. When was this monument erected and dedicated? Who was the sculptor?

Julie Eshelman-Lee
Fort Collins, Colo.

Dear Julie,

The statue honoring the hero of the Battle of New Orleans and president of the United States was a long time coming. It was in 1840 that General Andrew Jackson himself laid a cornerstone in the Place d'Armes -- the name of the square before it was changed in 1851. The monument -- a creation of sculptor Clark Mills -- was not dedicated until Feb. 9, 1856.

As you know, Jackson was considered a "savior" in New Orleans. So it was quite logical for loyal citizens to erect a monument in his honor. The cornerstone was laid during Jackson's third and last visit to the city. He had been invited to attend the ceremonies which were held on the 25th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. He arrived by steamboat to great fanfare and was entertained royally. However, the general was not to see this statue in his honor as he died in 1845.

Eleven years after Jackson's visit, the talk of a monument turned into action with the formation of a Jackson Monument Association. Members of the association included such dignitaries as the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans. A series of resolutions was passed which allowed the committee to collect contributions from the citizens to pay for the erection of a suitable monument. Large and small donations came from many sources, but the amount was not nearly enough to pay for the design selected by the association: a colossal equestrian statue of Jackson on a prancing steed. The bronze statue of Clark Mills would cost $28,000, not including the base. The association eventually called on the Legislature, which initially provided $20,000.

Then the association learned that Clark Mills was completing a statue of Jackson -- dedicated in 1853 -- for Washington, D.C., and asked him if he could produce a duplicate and charge less. Mills agreed and signed a contract with the association in February 1854. He also agreed to supply the materials and construct a pedestal of granite for the statue. The association agreed to pay Mills $35,000.

Mills subcontracted the work on the base to Newton Richards, a New Orleans stone dealer and good friend of the mayor. But the work on the base went very slowly, and it was over a year before the statue was able to be dedicated.

Clark Mills was born in New York state in 1810. As a child, he was orphaned and had no formal education. He was a jack-of-all-trades as a young man, and in Charleston, S.C., taught himself the art of sculpture. In 1845, he created a marble bust of John C. Calhoun that won him a gold medal from the citizens of Charleston, and when he submitted his design for the equestrian statue of Jackson, it was enthusiastically approved.

Mills managed to overcome the problem of supporting the tremendous weight of man and horse on two slender back legs and to create a perfect likeness. He also purchased a thoroughbred horse and trained it to rear and stay in that position so he could capture the stance. He also studied many contemporary drawings of Jackson's face and figure. The completed statue is made of about 60 individual parts pieced together to look like one piece. The statue is a third larger than life, weighs about 15 tons and is 14 feet high.

In October 1855, members of the association decided to relay the cornerstone. They retrieved a copper box Jackson had contributed, and without opening it to view the contents, placed it, along with documents, newspapers, coins and a brief history of Jackson, in the new pedestal.

Inauguration Day itself was a spectacle indeed, and included a grand procession, magnificent music, speeches by lots of people, including Clark Mills, and a salute of a hundred cannons on the levee. At the conclusion of the main oration, a man pulled a string, the covering fell and the magnificent bronze statue glittered in the sun while the crowd roared its approval.
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