Collection open for research .
No physical characteristics affect use of this material.
Leesburg Confederate Monument Collection (SC 0042), Thomas Balch.
Becky Fleming, Round Hill, VA
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2005.0093
Processed by Emily Hershman, 5 June 2009
Sculptor Frederick William Sievers (1872-1966) was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and obtained his early education in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1893, Sievers moved to Richmond, Virginia. There he secured a job as a picture frame assembler and attended evening courses at the Virginia Mechanics Institute. After saving money to study in Europe, Sievers attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and the Academie Julian in Paris. In 1902 he returned to the United States, receiving his first commission for the Confederate Memorial at Elmira, New York, in 1906. A year later, he was selected by the Loudoun Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy to construct `the Confederate Monument in Leesburg. The statue of the Confederate soldier was unveiled on May 28, 1908, and remains on the Leesburg courthouse lawn. In 1910, the Virginia State Commission chose Sievers' model for the Virginia Memorial at Gettysburg over those of 35 other sculptors; the monument was unveiled in 1917. Soon after the completion of the Gettysburg memorial, Sievers moved back to Richmond, where he resided until his death in 1966.
The Leesburg Confederate Monument Collection consists of assorted memorabilia and research regarding the memorial, including a photocopied photograph and copyright of the monument, a timeline of its construction, a biographical sketch of Frederick William Sievers, a photocopied program from its unveiling ceremony, various newspaper articles describing the event, and a photocopied postcard of the monument sent to the sculptor's daughter, Lillian Gladys Sievers (1916-2002). These items are in good condition and may be photocopied.
The first article in the collection is a biographical sketch of Sievers that recounts various facts and events of his life, particularly in terms of his educational credentials and major works of art. Further biographical information is provided in a brief article by Ulrich Troubetzkoy (1914-2003), which denotes Sievers as a sculptor "famed for his monuments to Confederate war heroes." The process of the Leesburg monument's construction in the context of Sievers's career is noted in the timeline, which begins in1899 with his first studio in Rome and concludes with 1917 with the dedication of the Virginia monument at Gettysburg. A January 24, 1901 article from The Mirror records a meeting of the Confederate Veterans and the Loudoun Chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy in which "some progress was made towards raising funds" for the erection of the memorial. Also compiled in the collection is a photocopy of the monument's original copyright, signed by Sievers on 27 August 1907. He describes the memorial's subject as a "Confederate infantry man standing in act of cocking musket." The photocopy of the title page from the program of the 1908 dedication portrays a small depiction of the statue. An accompanying June 1908 article of The Mirror refers to the unveiling ceremony as an "all-around success" and "an honor to the citizens of Loudoun County." A photograph and descriptive caption of the monument in the 14 June 1970 issue of The Richmond Times-Dispatch characterizes it as "a popular camera subject" that "attracts much interest from tourists." Lastly, the photocopy of an undated postcard of the statue proclaims it to be "the pride of Leesburg" which "stand[s] guard over the local scene."
The biographical sketch, timeline, newspaper articles, copyright notice, and postcard are the only items in this collection.
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