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One
of the most arresting WWI statues
in Texas is a four-figured marble memorial for
Corporal Otis Henry.
A generic statue of a soldier throwing a grenade
stands above a statue of the civilian Otis Henry flanked by two angels.
The Corporal died a mere 35 days from the signing of the armistice. The inscriptions
furnish the cause of death, the location of the event, and the soldier’s unit.
Corporal
359th Infantry 90th Division Co. H
Gassed one kilometer SE (Village) of Vincey
B. June 22, 1894 in Denison,
Texas
Died October 6th 1918 |
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Dulce et Decorum
est
by Wilfred
Owen
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing
like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned
our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many
had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly
behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! -- An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting
the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime. --
Dim through the misty panes
and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In
all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking,
drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind
the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every
jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as
the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, --
My friend, you
would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori. |
| The
author of the poem, British soldier Wilfred Owen, was killed a week before the
armistice - his mother receiving the bad news on Armistice Day.
Photo
courtesy Wikipedia | |
| From A Comprehensive
Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas by Carrol Morris Little: “The grief that
motivated Corporal Henry’s mother, a lady of modest means, to erect such a monument
to her son inspires a deep sense of appreciation for all WWI
veterans and their families.” |
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Historical
Marker TextRose
Hill CemeteryOne
of the oldest cemeteries in Texarkana.
Founded as "City Cemetery" in 1874, shortly after the town was established
in December, 1873. Here lie the remains of some of the city's first citizens--
plantation owners, the livery stable owner, country doctors, lawyers, the cabinet
maker, and 2 known members of the Texas legislature. About 70 Confederate soldiers
and 3 known Union soldiers are also interred here. Other burials include victims
of the 1882 Paragon Saloon disaster, which occurred when a storm caused a nearby
building to collapse, thus starting a fire. In 1889 the Rose Hill Cemetery Association
was formed to beautify and maintain the tract. A very impressive monument marks
the grave of Otis Henry, a young World
War I soldier. The grave of Captain Francis Marion Henry, one of the city
fathers and a great-great-grandson of American Patriot Patrick Henry, is marked
by a Texas historical marker. The center-drive lots are reserved for designated
soldiers and veterans of World Wars
I and II from Bowie
County, Texas and Miller County, Arkansas. Many of the older graves are placed
in cement "cradles", a surviving custom of earlier times, as is the secluded atmosphere
of this heart-of-town plot. |
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"The
center-drive lots are reserved for designated soldiers and veterans of World
Wars I and II from
Bowie County, Texas and Miller County, Arkansas."
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, 2010 | |
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