Robert McClintock
Occupation: Artist, owner of Robert McClintock Studio & Gallery
What I chose: “Gloria Victus” by F. Wellington Ruchstuhl. The statue is titled “Gloria Victus,” which in Latin means “Glory to the Vanquished.” It is a monument dedicated to the Confederate soldiers and sailors and is a dramatically poignant statue with the huge wings of the Angel “Glory” carrying a handsome but dying Confederate soldier. It leaves no doubt as to who won the long war. The angel is holding high a palm wreath, which symbolizes peace. The statue was made by New York City Confederate sympathizer artist F. Wellington Ruchstuhl and paid for by the Daughters of the Confederacy. It was dedicated in 1903 when the war between the states was only 40 years past. At the time, it was still a very vivid memory by local veterans who attended along with many others who were touched by the war.
Why: Wherever I have lived in my life, I have always been very interested in the history of the city and region that I was in. When I moved to Baltimore from Vermont, I was struck by the fact that I was now “technically” speaking in the South and very close to many Civil War battle sites and other very important scenes from history.
I first lived in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore and one day stumbled onto a statue on Mount Royal Avenue near North Avenue.
It was somewhat hidden among the tree-lined street. I was surprised when I stopped to read the inscription of this huge statue as I realized it was a Confederate Civil War memorial. That’s when it hit me I was certainly not in the North anymore. Baltimore is said to be the only city with monuments dedicated to both Union and Confederate soldiers, which tells you a great deal about Baltimore at that time.
