October 08, 2014

With as many times as I’ve visited Gettysburg, there are still monuments I’ve yet to fully appreciate. One of these is the Virginia State Memorial with its striking bronze scene. There’s so much going on here, from the separate figures to the plunging horse, from the unfurled flag to the broken cannon at bottom. If you click for a larger image, you can see the words Sic semper tyrannis, Virginia’s state motto, on the bottom of the flag. I’d have to say my favorite features are the cannon which has seen better days, and the man directly to the left of the horseman, holding out a revolver with a look of determination on his face. All the figures are stunning, though. It must have taken quite awhile to finish this amazing piece of art.

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. TIMOTHY KEARNS

Co. A, 71^ST New York Infantry

Born 1830 --- July 02, 1863 at age 33

Pvt. Kearns, a New Jersey man who enlisted in May 1861, never had the opportunity to be carried off to the field and cared for even briefly; suffering wounds that severed both legs, he died in battle. He now lies in Gettysburg’s National Cemetery, though his stone says “1^ST New York.” 


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