General Abner Doubleday
Posted to the Project on 01 Jan 08
General Abner Doubleday’s bronze monument (aka the “fat dude who invented baseball” monument as I heard one visitor call it) is located at the intersections of Meredith Avenue and South Reynolds Avenue, near where Reynolds was killed. This was the center of Doubleday’s line on July 1. It was dedicated on September 25, 1917. The $7,357.00 was paid by the state of New York. Doubleday — who was sometimes called 48 Hours (apparently he wasn’t fast, something he had in common with much of the Army of the Potomac high command) — commanded the First Corps following the death of Reynolds. He seems to have done a good job and his troops fought very well, but his reputation was sullied on the evening of July 1 by statements from General Howard to General Meade that the First Corps broke and ran. This was not true. But Doubleday was replaced and spent the rest of his life trying to regain his reputation.
The monument was sculpted by J. Massey Rhind. Rhind, a Scottish born sculptor, is responsible for several monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield including:
- Doubleday (of course) (1917)
- Webb (1915)
- John C. Robinson (1917)
- Francis C. Barlow (1922)