Sergeant Jasper

Sergeant William Jasper, the famed Revolutionary hero, was mortally wounded a few hundred yards northwest of this spot on October 9, 1779, in the ill-fated attack of the American and French forces on the British defenses around Savannah. The monument to Jasper in this Square was unveiled in 1888 with great ceremony. The 15 1/2 foot bronze statue of Jasper was designed by the distinguished sculptor, Alexander Doyle of New York. The sculptor has depicted the heroic Sergeant bearing the colors of the Second Regiment of South Carolina Continentals during the assault at Savannah. His right hand, in which he holds a sabre, is pressed tight against the bullet wound in his side. Jasper's bullet-ridden hat lies at his feet. His face, as portrayed by the sculptor, reveals intense suffering and resolute purpose. The bas relief panels on the north, west and east sides of the monument represent the sculptor's conception of three episodes in Sargeant Jasper's Revolutionary career: - the ramparts of Fort Sullivan near Charleston where Jasper, under heavy fire, bravely replaced the flag; the liberation of Patriot prisoners by Jasper and a companion at what is now called Jasper Spring near Savannah; and the dying hero's last moments after the attack of October 9, 1779.