American Revolution Statuary | |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
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NRHP reference No. | 78000256 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 14, 1978 |
Designated DCIHS | March 3, 1979 |
American Revolution Statuary is a group of fourteen statues in Washington, D.C., that honor men whose actions assisted the Thirteen Colonies in their fight against the Kingdom of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War. They are spread throughout the city, except for the four statues in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, that honor some of the foreign heroes from the war. Some of the statues are located in prominent places, while others are in small parks or stand alone in front of buildings. All of the statues are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The statuary was collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978 and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year. In addition, most are also contributing properties to historic districts listed on the NRHP.
The first statue in Washington, D.C., honoring Revolutionary War heroes was the equestrian statue of President and General George Washington. It was installed in 1860. The remaining statues were erected from 1878 to 1948. with most being installed in the early 20th-century. All but one of the statues are cast in bronze. Benjamin Franklin's statue was carved in marble. The statues depict American military men, two American politicians, and an eighth statue depicts a military man who was also governor of Massachusetts. Five statues depict European officers who aided the American cause, and a British politician who spoke out for the American cause. The U.S. Congress authorized the original placement of all the statues, and all but four were fully paid for with federal funds. Some of the statues have been moved from their original locations.
Beginning in the mid-1800s, Congress, societies, and descendants of the American Revolutionary War forces wanted to install statues throughout Washington, D.C., to honor notable men who helped the U.S. win independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The first outdoor statue in the nation's capital depicted Thomas Jefferson. It was displayed north of the White House in 1847, but was returned to the United States Capitol in 1874. In 1853, the equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson was installed in the center of Lafayette Square. [2] It was the first equestrian statue made in the U.S. [3]
Clark Mills was commissioned to create an equestrian statue of George Washington, the country's first president and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The equestrian statue was installed in 1860 in Washington Circle, the first of the 14 American Revolutionary statuary to be erected in Washington, D.C. [2] The next statue of a Revolutionary War hero was in honor of Major General Nathanael Greene, erected in 1878 in Stanton Park and designed by Henry Kirke Brown. [4] It is considered one of the city's best equestrian statues. [5] [6] The third statue, depicting Benjamin Franklin in a standing pose, was sculpted by Jacques Jouvenal and installed in 1889. It was later moved to its current location in front of the Old Post Office. [7] Franklin's statue is one of four of the statues not paid for by the U.S. government. It was a donation from Stilson Hutchins, founder of The Washington Post . [7] The fourth statue installed, sculpted by Alexandre Falguière and Antonin Mercié, was in honor of Major General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, one of two French military figures to be honored in Lafayette Square. It was erected in 1891. [8] The park had been named after him during his 1824 visit to the U.S. [5]
The majority of the Revolutionary War statues were installed in the 20th-century. The first to be erected in the 20th-century, and the fifth overall, was that of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, in 1902. The statue of the Comte de Rochambeau was sculpted by Fernand Hamar and is the other French military hero honored in Lafayette Square. [2] [9] The sixth statue, sculpted by William Couper, depicts Doctor John Witherspoon, a politician, minister, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. It was dedicated in 1909 and paid for by members of the Church of the Covenant (now known as National Presbyterian Church). It is located at the intersection of 18th Street, Connecticut Avenue, and N Street NW. [10] The seventh and eighth statues, depicting Polish heroes Tadeusz Kościuszko and Casimir Pulaski, respectively, were dedicated on the same day in 1910. Kościuszko's statue, sculpted by Antoni Popiel, was the third installed in Lafayette Square and Pulaski's equestrian statue, sculpted by Kazimierz Chodziński, stands on the eastern end of Freedom Plaza after being moved several times in its history. [11] [12] Also in 1910, the statue of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, sculpted by Albert Jaegers, was installed in Lafayette Square. [13]
The John Paul Jones Memorial, honoring the Continental Navy captain, was sculpted by Charles Henry Niehaus and is located in West Potomac Park. It was erected in 1912 and became the tenth Revolutionary War statue to be installed. [2] [14] In 1914, another naval hero, Commodore John Barry, was memorialized with a statue in Franklin Square. His statue was sculpted by John J. Boyle. [2] In 1922, the Sulgrave Institution represented by Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield, paid for a statue of Edmund Burke to be erected in a small park at the intersection of 11th Street, L Street, and Massachusetts Avenue NW. [2] The statue honoring a British politician who defended the Thirteen Colonies was sculpted by James Havard Thomas and became the 12th Revolutionary War statue erected in Washington, D.C. [2] The last two installed were the statue of Artemas Ward at Ward Circle, which was sculpted by Leonard Crunelle and dedicated in 1938, and the statue of Nathan Hale, a gift from Yale University President Charles Seymour, which was sculpted by Bela Pratt and dedicated in 1948. [2] [15] [16]
Washington, D.C., has the largest amount of outdoor statues in the country. [2] Two well-known landmarks in the city, the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, are technically American Revolutionary monuments, but due to their size and grandeur, they are excluded from the list. All of the American Revolutionary statuary are owned and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. [2] In accordance with Executive Order 11593, by President Richard Nixon, the NPS surveyed and registered statuary of people of the American Revolutionary War in Washington, D.C., to aid in their preservation. [17] [18] [19] The statues were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on July 14, 1978. The statuary was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year on March 3, 1979. Due to their locations in places originally planned by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, many of the statues are contributing properties (CP) to the L'Enfant Plan. Others are CPs to historic districts, including the four at Lafayette Square, that are CPs to the Lafayette Square Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. [20]
The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring American Civil War general and 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. It sits at the base of Capitol Hill, below the west front of the United States Capitol. Its central sculpture of Grant on horseback faces west, overlooking the Capitol Reflecting Pool and facing toward the Lincoln Memorial, which honors Grant's wartime president, Abraham Lincoln. Grant's statue is raised on a pedestal decorated with bronze reliefs of the infantry; flanking pedestals hold statues of protective lions and bronze representations of the Union cavalry and artillery. The whole is connected with marble covered platforms, balustrades, and stairs. The Grant and Lincoln memorials define the eastern and western ends, respectively, of the National Mall.
The James A. Garfield Monument stands on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Garfield Circle, a traffic circle at First Street and Maryland Avenue SW in Washington, D.C. It is a memorial to U.S. President James A. Garfield, who was elected in 1880 and assassinated in 1881 after serving only four months of his term. The perpetrator was an attorney and disgruntled office-seeker named Charles J. Guiteau. Garfield lived for several weeks after the shooting, but eventually succumbed to his injuries. The monument is part of a three-part sculptural group near the Capitol Reflecting Pool, including the Peace Monument and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Union Square. The monument is also a contributing property to the National Mall and L'Enfant Plan, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. The bronze statue rests on a granite pedestal that features three sculptures, each one representing a time period in Garfield's life.
Lafayette Square is a seven-acre public park located within President's Park in Washington, D.C., directly north of the White House on H Street, bounded by Jackson Place on the west, Madison Place on the east and Pennsylvania Avenue on the south. It is named for the general, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat, and hero of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and includes several statues of revolutionary heroes from Europe, including Lafayette, while at its center is a famous statue of early 19th century U.S. president and general Andrew Jackson on horseback with both of the horse's front hooves raised.
Admiral David G. Farragut is a statue in Washington, D.C., honoring David Farragut, a career military officer who served as the first admiral in the United States Navy. The monument is sited in the center of Farragut Square, a city square in downtown Washington, D.C. The statue was sculpted by female artist Vinnie Ream, whose best-known works include a statue of Abraham Lincoln and several statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The monument was dedicated in 1881 in an extravagant ceremony attended by President James A. Garfield, members of his cabinet, and thousands of spectators. It was the first monument erected in Washington, D.C., in honor of a naval war hero.
Major General John A. Logan, also known as the General John A. Logan Monument and Logan Circle Monument, is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C., that honors politician and Civil War general John A. Logan. The monument is sited in the center of Logan Circle, a traffic circle and public park in the Logan Circle neighborhood. The statue was sculpted by artist Franklin Simmons, whose other prominent works include the Peace Monument and statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The architect of the statue base was Richard Morris Hunt, designer of prominent buildings including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. Prominent attendees at the dedication ceremony in 1901 included President William McKinley, members of his cabinet, Senator Chauncey Depew, Senator Shelby Moore Cullom, and General Grenville M. Dodge.
Edmund Burke is a bronze, full-length statue of British statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher Edmund Burke by British artist James Havard Thomas. The original statue is in Bristol, England, with a second cast in Washington, D.C. The statue in Washington, D.C., stands in Burke Park, at the intersection of 11th Street, L Street, and Massachusetts Avenue NW, on the southern border of the Shaw neighborhood. The statue was a gift from the Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield, on behalf of the Sulgrave Institution, an organization that wanted to celebrate United Kingdom–United States relations. One way the group did this was by exchanging statues and busts between the two countries.
Lieutenant General George Washington is an 1860 equestrian statue of George Washington, at Washington Circle, at the edge of the George Washington University's campus, in Washington, D.C. The statue was sculpted by Clark Mills, who also created the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in front of the White House. The traffic circle where the statue is located was one of the original city designs by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The statue and surrounding park are in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood at the intersection of 23rd Street, New Hampshire Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The K Street NW underpass runs beneath the circle.
Andrew Jackson is a bronze equestrian statue by Clark Mills mounted on a white marble base in the center of Lafayette Square within President's Park in Washington, D.C., just to the north of the White House. Jackson is depicted dressed in military uniform, raising his hat with his right hand, while controlling the reins with his left hand as his horse rises on its rear legs.
Major General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette is a statue in the southeast corner of Lafayette Square, in Washington, D.C., near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Place, across the street from the White House. The statue was erected in 1891 to honor Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, and his contributions in the American Revolutionary War. The square, originally part of the President's Park, was named in honor of the Marquis in 1824 during a visit he made to the U.S. The statuary was made by Alexandre Falguière and Antonin Mercié, and the architect who designed the marble pedestal was Paul Pujol. The monument comprises a bronze statue of the Marquis de Lafayette about 11 ft (3.4 m) high, standing on a French marble pedestal with four faces decorated with classical mouldings, accompanied by seven additional bronze statues, all larger than life size.
Major General George Henry Thomas, also known as the Thomas Circle Monument, is an equestrian sculpture in Washington, D.C. that honors Civil War general George Henry Thomas. The monument is located in the center of Thomas Circle, on the border of the downtown and Logan Circle neighborhoods. It was sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, best known for his work on the statue of George Washington in Wall Street, Manhattan. Attendees at the dedication in 1879 included President Rutherford B. Hayes, Generals Irvin McDowell, Philip Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman, senators and thousands of soldiers.
Brevet Lt. General Winfield Scott is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C., that honors career military officer Winfield Scott. The monument stands in the center of Scott Circle, a traffic circle and small park at the convergence of 16th Street, Massachusetts Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue NW. The statue was sculpted by Henry Kirke Brown, whose best-known works include statues of George Washington in New York and Nathanael Greene in Washington, D.C. It was the first of many sculptures honoring Civil War generals that were installed in Washington, D.C.'s traffic circles and squares and was the second statue in the city to honor Scott.
General Artemas Ward is a bronze statue of American Revolutionary War general Artemas Ward. It is sited in the center of Ward Circle, which was specifically made for the statue, at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenue in the American University Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The 10-foot (3.0 m) statue of Ward was completed in 1936, but was not unveiled for two years. Ward was the first Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the Revolutionary War and served in a number of government roles, including as representative to the United States House of Representatives.
The statue of John Aaron Rawlins, a United States Army general who served during the Civil War and later as Secretary of War, is a focal point of Rawlins Park, a small public park in Washington, D.C.'s Foggy Bottom neighborhood. It was installed in 1874, but relocated several times between 1880 and 1931. The statue was sculpted by French-American artist Joseph A. Bailly, whose best known work is the statue of George Washington in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Brigadier General Thaddeus Kościuszko is a bronze statue honoring Polish military figure and engineer Tadeusz Kościuszko. The sculpture was dedicated in 1910, the third of four statues in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., to honor foreign-born heroes of the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1746, Kościuszko later received education at a Jesuit school before attending the Corps of Cadets in Warsaw. He later traveled to France where he studied in military academy libraries and adopted views of human liberty during the Age of Enlightenment. He moved to the Thirteen Colonies in 1776, where the war with the Kingdom of Great Britain had already begun. Kościuszko served as an engineer in the Continental Army, earning the praise of his superiors, including General George Washington.
Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau is a bronze statue honoring Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, a French nobleman and general who played a major role in helping the Thirteen Colonies win independence during the American Revolutionary War. Rochambeau joined the French military as a teenager, participating in the War of Austrian Succession, after which he was promoted to colonel, and the Seven Years' War. During the war in America, Louis XVI asked Rochambeau to lead a force of 5,500 French soldiers to assist the fight against the Kingdom of Great Britain. He and George Washington later worked together in the successful siege of Yorktown. He led the Army of the North during the French Revolutionary Wars, but was arrested and almost executed during the Reign of Terror. His military rank was restored by Napoleon and Rochambeau died a few years later in 1807.
Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben is a bronze statue of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a Prussian soldier who assisted the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Steuben had fought in previous wars, earning promotions until he assisted in the courts of Frederick the Great and later Josef Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. After meeting with Benjamin Franklin, and fearing for his safety in Europe after alleged homosexual behavior, Steuben and his associates arrived to help the Continental Army.
The statue of John Barry commemorates the "Father of the United States Navy", Commodore John Barry (1745-1806). Barry was an Irish-born sailor who joined the American colonists in fighting for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Barry became the first commission by the Second Continental Congress. He captained several ships during the war, and not only fought in the Continental Navy, but also the Continental Army. He was the first American to capture an enemy ship and was promoted to commodore by President George Washington in 1794. Barry's last ship, the United States, fought in the Quasi-War. He retired in 1801, but remained head of the United States Navy until his death in 1806.
Major General Nathanael Greene is a bronze equestrian statue honoring Nathanael Greene, a military leader during the American Revolutionary War. Greene was from modern-day Rhode Island and after laws passed by the Kingdom of Great Britain, along with the burning of one of his ships, Greene formed a state militia. He was later promoted to brigadier general in the Continental Army where he became a trusted adviser to Commander-in-Chief General George Washington. Greene played an active role during the war, participating in battles, sieges, and campaigns from New England to the Southern Colonies. For his service to the war, Greene was offered free land and settled in Georgia with his family. He died a few years later from a heatstroke.
General Casimir Pulaski is a bronze equestrian statue of Casimir Pulaski, a military man born in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He joined the military at a young age, fighting for removal of the king, who was backed by Russia. After his side lost the war, he fled to Paris, where he met Benjamin Franklin. Impressed by Pulaski, Franklin wrote a letter of recommendation to George Washington, suggesting he would be a helpful soldier during the American Revolutionary War. After arriving in the U.S., Pulaski eventually was promoted to Brigadier General and commanded a cavalry unit, the Pulaski's Legion. He died in 1779 due to injuries sustained in battle.
The Navy Yard Urns are two decorative bronze urns located in Lafayette Square, a small park across the street from the White House, in Washington, D.C. They were originally planned to be installed in the 1850s, but due to the Civil War and other events, they were not erected until 1872. Secretary of the Navy George M. Robeson had ordered the urns be made at the Washington Navy Yard using melted cannons from the Civil War.