- CountryUS
- Town:KY Lexington
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Year of creation:1911
- Rider(s):Morgan, John Hunt
(1825–1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. Morgan is best known for Morgan’s Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio. This would be the farthest north any uniformed Confederate troops penetrated during the war.
- Sculptor(s):Coppini, Pompeo
(1870 –1957) was an Italian sculptor who emigrated to the United States. Although his works can be found in Italy, Mexico and a number of American states, the majority of his work can be found in Texas.
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Morgan’s horse, Black Bess, was a mare, but sculptor Pompeo Coppini thought a stallion was more appropriate. Coppini said, “No hero should bestride a mare!”. Therefore, Coppini added the necessary testicles. Undergraduates from nearby University of Kentucky have been known to paint the testicles of the horse in the school colors of blue and white. An anonymous author wrote the “Ballad of Black Bess”, which ended with:
So darkness comes to Bluegrass men —
Like darkness o’er them falls —
For well we know gentlemen should show
Respect for a lady’s balls.
Photos are from 2016. In 2018 the statue has been relocated to Lexington Cemetery where Morgan is buried.
