Second Division Memorial, (sculpture).

Second Division Memorial, (sculpture).

Fraser, James Earle, 1876-1953, sculptor.

Pope, John Russell, 1874-1937, architect.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

Second Division Memorial, (sculpture).

2nd Division Memorial, (sculpture).

1936. Dedicated July 18, 1936. Rededicated June 20, 1962.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: gilded bronze; Base: Stony Creek granite.

Sculpture: approx. 18 ft. x 3 ft. 10 in. x 2 ft. 4 in.; Base: approx. 20 x 71 x 26 ft.

(Rear of base:) R (illegible letters) AN BRONZE WORKS/N.Y. (On base, above sword:) THE SECOND DIVISION (On base, underneath sword:) TO OUR DEAD/1917-1919 (To the proper left and proper right side of sword:) (Various locations of battles fought by the Second Division of the U. S. Army during the three wars) unsigned Founder's mark appears.

A gilded-bronze 18-foot tall flaming sword is held by a right hand. The sword's handle has a carved shield with a five-pointed star and the profile of an Indian Chief, insignia of the Second Division. The sculpture is framed by a granite gateway, with a horizontal opening and pilasters. The top of the gateway has a simple entablature. On the granite gateway, on either side of the sword symmetrically-placed, are reliefs of a wreath. Two low stone walls extend from the center gateway, terminating with flagpoles topped with eagles.

Object -- Weapon -- Sword

Figure -- Fragment -- Hand

Allegory -- Element -- Fire

History -- United States -- World War I

History -- United States -- World War II

History -- United States -- Korean War

Object -- Other -- Wreath

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

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

Located Ellipse, Constitution Avenue, near 17th Street N.W., Washington, District of Columbia

The memorial honors the 17,669 dead who served in the Second Division of the United States Army during three wars. Originally constructed to commemorate the Division's dead in World War I, the monument had two wings added later, with the battle honors of World War II on the west and those of the Korean Conflict on the east. The sword symbolically blocks the German advance to Paris. Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the first dedication on July 18, 1936. The monument was erected with funds provided by the Second Division Association. The wings were dedicated on June 20, 1962 with General Maxwell Taylor speaking during a reunion of the Second Division.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.,"Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 137.

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. 3.7.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.," Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 137.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 3.7.

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

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