Mexican War Midshipmen's Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mexican War Midshipmen's Monument |
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|---|---|
| United States Naval Academy | |
Center campus of the US Naval Academy
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| For the deaths of Midshipmen Shubrick, Clemson, Hynson, and Pillsbury | |
| Unveiled | 1848 |
| Location |
near the Naval Academy Chapel
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| Designed by | Unknown |
The Mexican War Midshipmen's Monument stands at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is a special memorial to young naval officers who died during the Mexican–American War.
The monument remembers four midshipmen: H. A. Clemson, J. R. Hynson, J. W. Pillsbury, and T. B. Shubrick. Two of them, Clemson and Hynson, died when their ship, the Somers, sank in 1846. Pillsbury drowned near Veracruz, Mexico, in 1846. Shubrick was killed during the siege of Veracruz in 1847.
This monument is made of marble. It was a gift from the Academy's midshipmen in 1848. People sometimes call it the Mexican Monument or the Clemson Monument. Its designer is not known.
What the Monument Looks Like
The monument is a tall, pointed stone pillar, called an obelisk. It has bronze wreaths on its sides. This obelisk sits on top of a square marble base.
At each corner of the base, there are four marble cannon tubes standing upright. Around the base, you can see four real cannons. These cannons are Spanish 12-pounder bronze guns. The US Navy captured them from the Mexicans in California in 1847.
Names and Messages
Each side of the obelisk has one of the midshipmen's names carved into it: CLEMSON, SHUBRICK, PILLSBURY, and HYNSON. Above each name is a leaf wreath.
On the monument's base, there are special messages. One message is below Clemson's name. It says:
To passed Midshipmen
H. A. CLEMSON.
and
J. R. HYNSON.
lost with U.S. Brig. Somers
off Vera Cruz
Dec. 8th, 1846
This monument is Erected
by
passed and other Midshipmen
of the U.S. Navy
as a tribute of respect
1848
Another message is below Pillsbury's name. It says:
To Midshipmen
J. W. PILLBURY.
and
T. B. SHUBRICK.
the former drowned off Vera Cruz
July 24th, 1846
the latter killed at the Naval Battery
near Vera Cruz
March 25th, 1847
while in charge of their duties
This monument is Erected
by
passed and other Midshipmen
as a tribute of respect
1848
On the sides of the base, below Hynson and Shubrick, there are carvings of fouled anchors. A fouled anchor is a symbol of an anchor with its rope wrapped around it.
