Sedgwick's Statue at Hartford

Major General John Sedgwick (1813-1864), who grew up in Cornwall Hollow, has been called Connecticut's most illustrious Civil War soldier. The state commissioned an equestrian statue of Sedgwick at Gettysburg which was unveiled in 1913. A decade later, the state requisitioned funds for another Sedgwick statue, to be placed on the south facade of the Capitol building at Hartford.

Connecticut commissioned Berthold Nebel, a sculptor based in New York City, to create the statue for the Capitol. A plaster cast was positioned in the niche on the side of the building for final design approval in August, 1928. The final marble statue was installed in March, 1929 (as reported in the Hartford Courant).

Sedgwick statue, south facade of the Capitol building, Hartford.

Nebel's design shows a significant amount of artistic license: rather than being a literal depiction of how Sedgwick appeared in life, the artist chose to create a heroic interpretation of how he thought a Civil War General ought to look.

For comparison, take a look at this 1864 depiction of Sedgwick in a Johnson, Fry & Co. engraving based on a painting by Thomas Nast:

Major General John Sedgwick (detail), 1864.
Collection of Cornwall Historical Society.

The 1864 engraving show Sedgwick as he typically appeared in photographs. The most obvious differences between this image and the statue at Hartford include the way Sedgwick wore his pants over his boots, the absence of gloves, the thickness of his coat (which seems cotton-thin on the statue), and the dishevelment of his hair and beard.