Louisiana State Memorial

Location: West Confederate Avenue

Dedicated: June 11,1971

Cost:$100,000

Sculptor: Donald DeLue

Contractor: Cast in Italy

Material: Polished Green Granite Bronze

The erection of the Louisiana State Memorial, one of the more recent on the field, culminated a movement begun by the Louisiana Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1966. One of the three southern state monuments designed and sculpted by Donald DeLue, this one consists of a bronze statue of two figures. The first, a nine-foot long, reclining artilleryman represents a member of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans. Fallen, perhaps mortally wounded, a comrade covered his chest with a Confederate battle flag which the dying man has clutched to his heart. The second figure, a ten -foot tall female represents the "Spirit of the Confederacy" soaring over her dead soilders. A dove of peace is nestled in the reeds beneath the women.

In her right hand held aloft is the flaming cannonball symbolic of ordnance and artillery. This perhaps lends greater credence to a variant exlanation of the soaring figure. It has often been said that it represents St. Barbara, the patron-saint of artillerymen. She was a woman who lived in Asia Minor about 300 A.D., the daughter of a very wealthy man. Her conversion to Christianity infuriated her father who promptly took her before the province's prefect for judgement. There she was condemned to death by beheading, her own father carrying out the sentence. As he returned home after the execution, the legend states that he was struck by a lightning bolt which consumed his body. Because of the fate befalling her executioner, Barbara came to be regarded as the patron to be called upon to protect one in a storm. Gunpowder's invention, and the frequent accidental explosions that resulted from its use led to St. Barbara gaining the additional role as the artilleryman's patron.

This monument envokes the emotion of sacrifice, peace and protection at least that is how it speaks to me.

I believe you have to put this one on your list of must see monuments.