Question: What famous sculptor created the Alamo Cenotaph monument?
Answer: Pompeo Coppini. Born in Italy in 1870, he moved to the United States in 1896 and settled in Texas, where he worked with German-born sculptor Frank Teich to create the Confederate Soldiers Monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds. Coppini also created monuments to Hood’s Texas Brigade and Terry’s Texas Rangers for the capitol grounds, Texas Gov. Lawrence Sullivan Ross on the Texas A&M campus in College Station, and several figures on the University of Texas campus in Austin.
The Spirit of Sacrifice, also known as the Alamo Cenotaph, was commissioned for the centennial remembrance of the Battle of the Alamo. Coppini was paid $100,000 to create the monument, which contains the names of 187 Alamo defenders. Later research has shown some of the individuals listed were not involved in the conflict, while the names of other combatants are missing.
