Ulysses S. Grant Memorial

Last updated
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
Monument to Grant.JPG
Artist Henry Shrady
Yearbegun 1902
completed 1924
TypeBronze
Dimensions5.2 m× 5.0 m× 1.2 m(206 in× 196 in× 48 in)
LocationWest side of the U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Owner Architect of the Capitol
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
Location map Washington DC Cleveland Park to Southwest Waterfront.png
Red pog.svg
Location Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°53′23.24″N77°0′46.49″W / 38.8897889°N 77.0129139°W / 38.8897889; -77.0129139
Part of Civil War Monuments in Washington, DC.
NRHP reference No. 78000257 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 20, 1978 [2]

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 (Union Square, the Mall, 1st Street NW/SW, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Avenue), below the west front of the United States Capitol. [3] 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.

Contents

The Grant Memorial is a contributor to the Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., of the National Register of Historic Places. James M. Goode's authoritative The Grant Memorial in Washington, D.C. (1974) called it "one of the most important sculptures in Washington." [4] It includes the largest equestrian statue in the United States and the fifth-largest in the world. [5]

Description

The central, equestrian statue of Grant with one of the four lions (2017) Grant Memorial 32.jpg
The central, equestrian statue of Grant with one of the four lions (2017)

The Grant Memorial is in Union Square, which also encompasses the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The platform for the Monument, made of Vermont marble, is 252 feet (77 m) long and 71 feet (22 m) wide and is divided into three sections. The tall, middle section features a 10,700-pound, 17-foot-2-inch (5.23 m) high equestrian statue depicting Grant astride his war horse Cincinnati on a 22½-foot high marble pedestal. [6]

A striking feature of the central statue is Grant's calm (almost disaffected) attitude amidst the raging fighting going on around him. This is not surprising because Grant was known for his calmness and coolheadedness during battle. In sharp contrast to Grant are the sculpture groups on either side, Cavalry Charge and Artillery, which

... possess more dramatic interest and suspense than any sculpture in the city and, indeed, in the Nation. [7]

Surrounding the main pedestal are four shorter pedestals, each supporting a bronze lion in repose guarding both the United States flag and the flags of the Army. The memorial was the largest bronze sculpture cast in the United States at that time. [4]

The Artillery Group to the south shows a caisson carrying three artillerymen and pulled by three horses. Astride the horse on the left is the guidon (flag) carrier who is signaling a sharp right wheel. Despite the impending course change the horse on the right is able to continue lunging forward due to a broken strap on the right bridle bit. To the north the Cavalry Group depicts a color squad consisting of seven cavalrymen charging into battle. The horse on the right has fallen and the rider, modeled after Shrady himself, is moments from being trampled by the onrushing horses. [7]

History

The drive to erect a monument to Grant was begun in the 1890s by the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. [8] [9]

Work on the memorial was begun in 1902 as the largest ever commissioned by Congress at the time, [4] was created by sculptor Henry Merwin Shrady and architect Edward Pearce Casey. [10] Sculptor Edmond Amateis assisted Shrady as the monument neared completion in 1921. [11] Shrady spent 20 years of his life working on the memorial and died, stressed and overworked, two weeks before its dedication in 1922. [6]

The sculptures were cast in bronze at the Roman Bronze Works in New York. [12] Construction on the site of the memorial began in 1909 when the marble superstructure and the four bronze lions were installed. The Artillery Group was installed in 1912, the Cavalry Group in 1916, and the bronze equestrian statue of Grant in 1920. The memorial was dedicated on the 100th anniversary of Grant's birth, April 27, 1922. Shrady having died, the infantry panels on the base of Grant's pedestal were completed by sculptor Sherry Fry based on Shrady's sketches and installed in 1924. [13] The Grant Memorial composes the center of a three-part sculptural group including the James A. Garfield Monument to the south and the Peace Monument to the north.

During 2015 and 2016 a cleaning and restoration program was carried out on the memorial. This included the replacement of 150 elements of the work, such as swords and scabbards, that had gone missing or been stolen over the years. The layer of green corrosion on the memorial's bronze was removed to return it to its original brown color. [14]

See also

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "American Revolution Statuary". National Park Service. September 20, 1978. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  3. "General Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, (sculpture)". Siris-artinventories.si.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  4. 1 2 3 Goode 1974, p.244.
  5. Larger ones include the statue of Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue; the monument to Italy's King Victor Emanuel in Rome and the monument of Jan Žižka in Prague.
  6. 1 2 Goode 1974, p.245.
  7. 1 2 Goode 1974, p.246.
  8. "The Grand Army Of The Republic". Civilwarhome.com. 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  9. Sherrill 1924, p. 18.
  10. Goode 1974, p.243.
  11. Montagna 1987, p.55.
  12. "General Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, (sculpture)". CollectionsSearchCenter. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  13. Montagna 1987, p.59.
  14. Ruane, Michael; Ruane, Michael E. (2015-08-27). "Grant Memorial gets a facelift as story of its tormented sculptor is retold". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2017-08-17.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Clark Potter</span> American sculptor

Edward Clark Potter was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His most famous works are the marble lions, nicknamed Patience and Fortitude, in front of the New York Public Library Main Branch

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Quincy Adams Ward</span> American sculptor (1830–1910)

John Quincy Adams Ward was an American sculptor, whose most familiar work is his larger than life-size standing statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Mills (sculptor)</span> American sculptor

Clark Mills was an American sculptor, best known for four versions of an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, located in Washington, D.C., with replicas in Nashville, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Shrady</span> American sculptor

Henry Merwin Shrady was an American sculptor, best known for the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Garfield Monument</span> Statue by John Quincy Adams Ward in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The James A. Garfield Monument stands on the grounds of the United States Capitol in the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace Monument</span> Monument at the United States Capitol

The Peace Monument, also known as the Navy Monument, Naval Monument or Navl-Peace Monument, stands on the western edge of the United States Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. It is in the middle of Peace Circle, where First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW intersect. The surrounding area is Union Square, which the monument shares with the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, James A. Garfield Monument, and the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The front of the monument faces west towards the National Mall while the east side faces the United States Capitol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Simmons</span> American sculptor

Franklin Bachelder Simmons was a prominent American sculptor of the nineteenth century. Three of his statues are in the National Statuary Hall Collection, three of his busts are in the United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection, and his statue of Ulysses S. Grant is in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Mills Studio</span> Clark Mills first sculpture studio, Charleston, SC (1837-1848)

The Charleston, South Carolina, studio of sculptor Clark Mills, was his first—he worked there from 1837 to 1848, when he moved to Washington, DC. The Charleston studio was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Before it became Mills' studio, the building, located at 51 Broad Street, Charleston originally served as a tenement house, and now houses professional offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Webster Memorial</span> Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Daniel Webster Memorial is a monument in Washington, D.C., honoring U.S. statesman and lawyer Daniel Webster. It is located near Webster's former house, beside Scott Circle, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, N Street, and Rhode Island Avenue NW. The person who commissioned the memorial was Stilson Hutchins, founder of The Washington Post, who greatly admired Webster. Congress approved the memorial in 1898 and the dedication ceremony took place in January 1900. Amongst the attendees at the ceremony were President William McKinley and his cabinet, members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Philip Sheridan (Washington, D.C.)</span> Bronze sculpture by Gutzon Borglum

General Philip Sheridan is a bronze sculpture that honors Civil War general Philip Sheridan. The monument was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, best known for his design of Mount Rushmore. Dedicated in 1908, dignitaries in attendance at the unveiling ceremony included President Theodore Roosevelt, members of the President's cabinet, high-ranking military officers and veterans from the Civil War and Spanish–American War. The equestrian statue is located in the center of Sheridan Circle in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The bronze statue, surrounded by a plaza and park, is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The sculpture and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson (Washington, D.C.)</span> Equestrian statue by Clark Mills in Washington, D.C., U.S.

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. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George Henry Thomas</span> Sculpture in Washington, D.C.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Winfield Scott</span> Equestrian statue by Henry Kirke Brown

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John Aaron Rawlins</span> Statue by Joseph A. Bailly

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Nathanael Greene</span> Statue by Henry Kirke Brown in Washington, D.C, U.S.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Rohl-Smith</span> Danish-American sculptor

Carl Wilhelm Daniel Rohl-Smith was a Danish American sculptor who was active in Europe and the United States from 1870 to 1900. He sculpted a number of life-size and small bronzes based on Greco-Roman mythological themes in Europe as well as a wide number of bas-reliefs, busts, funerary monuments, and statues throughout Denmark, the German Confederation, and Italy. Emigrating to the United States in 1886, he once more produced a number of sculptures for private citizens. His most noted American works were a statue of a soldier for a Battle of the Alamo memorial in Texas, a statue of Benjamin Franklin for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, a statue group in Chicago commemorating the Fort Dearborn Massacre, and the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Hibbard</span> American sculptor

Frederick Cleveland Hibbard was an American sculptor based in Chicago. Hibbard is best remembered for his Civil War memorials, produced to commemorate both the Union and Confederate causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant</span> Statue in Philadelphia, PA, US

The equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant is a public monument in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in Fairmount Park, the monument honors Ulysses S. Grant, who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later as President of the United States. The monument was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and consists of an equestrian statue atop a pedestal. The statue was dedicated in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulysses S. Grant Monument</span> Monument in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois

The Ulysses S. Grant Monument is a presidential memorial in Chicago, honoring American Civil War general and 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. Located in Lincoln Park, the statue was commissioned shortly after the president's death in 1885 and was completed in 1891. Several artists submitted sketches, and Louis Rebisso was selected to design the statue, with a granite pedestal suggested by William Le Baron Jenney. At the time of its completion, the monument was the largest bronze statue cast in the United States, and over 250,000 people were present at the dedication.

References