General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, (sculpture).

General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, (sculpture).

Rohl-Smith, Carl, 1848-1900, sculptor.

Asbjornsen, Sigvald, 1867-1954, sculptor.

Kitson, Theo Alice Ruggles, 1871-1932, sculptor.

Sinding, Stephen Abel, 1846-1922, sculptor.

Jensen, Lauritz, b. 1859, sculptor.

Rohl-Smith, Sara, architect.

Gorham Manufacturing Company, founder.

Harrison Granite Company, fabricator.

Fletcher Granite Company, fabricator.

National Mosaic Company, contractor.

General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, (sculpture).

Commissioned 1896. 1898. Dedicated Oct. 15, 1903.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Overall: approx. H. 42 ft.; Equestrian figure: approx. H. 14 ft.

(Base, front:) WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN/1820-1891 (North side of base:) ON NO EARTHLY ACCOUNT WILL I DO ANY ACT OR/THINK ANY THOUGHT HOSTILE TO OR IN DEFIANCE/OF THE OLD GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES/ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA JANUARY 18, 1861/WAR'S LEGITIMATE OBJECT IS MORE PREFECT PEACE/WASHINGTON, DC FEBRUARY 23, 1882 (South side of base:) SEMINOLE WAR 1840-1842/WAR IN MEXICO 1847-1848/OCCUPATION OF CALIFORNIA/CIVIL WAR 1861-1865/GENERAL COMMANDING THE/ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES/1869-1884 (South base, lower side:) ERECTED BY THE/SOCIETY OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE/WITH THE AID OF THE/CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES/1903 (On Cavalryman, in script:) CR completed by S. Asbjornsen signed Founder's mark appears.

A bronze equestrian statue of Sherman holding his horse's reins in his proper left hand a field glass in his proper right hand. Included in the monument are eight portrait medallions, four reliefs of battle scenes, and two bronze figure groups --one representing War and the other Peace.

Peace is represented by three small children and a woman holding an olive branch. Below them is a relief depicting Sherman and his staff planning the Battle of Missionary Ridge. On the south side of the base are portrait medallions of two generals under Sherman's command, Andrew J. Smith and James B. McPherson, and a list of Sherman's various military assignments.

War is represended by a woman with bound hands standing atop a dead soldier while two vultures prey upon the soldier's body. Below them is a relief depicting soldiers at rest. The base is adorned with four portrait medallions of generals who served under Sherman, John A. Logan, Francis Preston Blair, Edward G. Ransom, and Grenville Dodge. At each corner of the base stands a life-size soldier representing each branch of the army --Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, and Engineers. Encircling the base is a six foot wide mosaic inlaid with the names of all of Sherman's battles.

Portrait male -- Sherman, William Tecumseh -- Full length

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Dress -- Accessory -- Eye wear

Occupation -- Military -- General

History -- United States -- Civil War

History -- United States -- Military history

Portrait male -- Logan, John A. -- Bust

Portrait male -- Blair, Francis Preston -- Bust

Portrait male -- Ransom, Edward G. -- Bust

Portrait male -- Dodge, Grenville -- Bust

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Located Intersection of 15th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, & Treasury Place, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia

Commissioned by the United States Department of War and the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, General Sherman Statue Committee at a cost of approximately $90,000. Original plans for the monument were submitted by Carl Rohl-Smith. The site was chosen because Sherman is reported to have stood there while reviewing returning Civil War troops in 1865. Although Rohl-Smith died in 1900, before much of the monument was completed, supervision of the work was continued by Lauritz Jensen, under the direction of Smith's widow, Sara. Lauritz Jensen completed the colossal equestrian, and put the final touches on the bas-reliefs and made the badge of the Army of Tennessee. Rohl-Smith completed three of the four soldier figures on the corners of the monument and Sigvald Asbjornsen completed the fourth figure; sources differ as to whether the figure modelled by Asbjornsen was the artilleryman or the cavalryman. Theo Kitson created the portrait medallions, and Stephen Sinding modelled the War and Peace figures. The figure of War, done after drawings by Rohl-Smith, was found not to harmonize with the other figures and remodelling changes were made by Asbjornsen, who completed the figure. All of the sculptures were cast by Gorham Manufacturing Company. The pedestal was built by the Harrison Granite Company with granite furnished by the Fletcher Granite Company. The band of mosaic at the steps of the monument was done according to Rohl-Smith designs and laid by the National Mosaic Company.

IAS files contain related excerpts from "Sherman: A memorial in art, oratory, and literature," Society of the Army of Tennessee with the aid of the Congress of the United States, Govt. Printing Office, 1904, which contains detailed dimensions; the Washington Post, June 7, 1903, and Washington Times, June 7, 1903.

Heitmann, Helen M., 1989, 1993, 2001.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 131-132.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, DC0073, 1989.

Monumental News, Dec. 1903, pg. 699-700.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 3.2.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 32.

Monumental News, Dec. 1903, pg. 699.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. C-2.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System