King and his Men

King and his Men. Memorial 1937. It has been 74 years since this Monument was erected as a memoriali to Captain Amon B. King and his men who were captured and then Executed by General Jose' Urrea., The Citizens of Refugio did not feel that this Sculpture and Granite Column were fitting tribute to the brave young men who gave their lives so that we as Texans could be free of the oppression of a want-to-be King, Santa Anna. They did not visualize the meanings of the Symbols that were incorporated into the sculpture. All they saw was a scantily clad young man pulling a weed, scratching his back with his broken sword, which if you just look at the statue that is exactly what you see. , What we need to remember is who the artist was and the times in which it was designed. The artist, Raoul Josset was born in Tours, France, December 1899. He was trained at the Paris School of Fine Arts and studied under famed sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle. After World War I, Josset created more than 15 memorials in France. He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1923 and the Prix Paris for the years 1924, 25, and 26. , Josset came to the US in 1933. His first commission was to carve two 45 foot Granite Indians for the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge at Vincennes, Indiana. He became a citizen of the US in 1934. During the Texas Centennial in 1936, Josset came to Dallas where he created the Statue, Spirit of the Centennial, at Fair Park. Another thing to remember is Josset was working during the height of the Art Deco movement. , As you study our monument you see the Art Deco influences on the Sculpture. The angularity of his muscles, the squareness of its form, when you throw in the symbolism of Greek Mythology you end up with our Sculpture: A Young Man, on one knee weary from battle; in a struggle swinging a Broken Sword, losing his fight but battling to the end; holding tightly to a Laurel Leaf, the idea of freedom. , This sculpture tells the story of not just one great man, Captain Amon B. King, but the group of great young men that gave the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom we have today. , What Else Could Be Expected of the Great Men and Women of Texas!