Major General John A. Logan, (sculpture).

Major General John A. Logan, (sculpture).

Simmons, Franklin, 1839-1913, sculptor.

Fonderia Nelli, founder.

Cranford Paving Company, contractor.

Major General John A. Logan, (sculpture).

General John A. Logan Monument, (sculpture).

Logan Circle Monument, (sculpture).

Designed 1892. Modeled 1893. Bronze base installed April 18, 1898. Sculpture installed Jan. 23, 1901. Dedicated April 9, 1901.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture and base: bronze; Lower base: polished red granite.

Sculpture: approx. 12 x 10 x 4 1/2 in.; Base: approx. 3 x 22 x 30 ft. (Sculpture 11,000 lbs. Bronze base 35,000 lbs.).

Franklin Simmons / FOND. NELLI ROMA 1897 (On both east and west sides of base:) LOGAN signed Founder's mark appears.

An equestrian portrait of General John A. Logan rests atop a rectangular bronze base adorned with allegorical figures and reliefs depicting two scenes in Logan's life. Logan, dressed in his Civil War uniform, is astride his horse with his proper left hand holding the reins and his proper right hand holding his sword pointed downward. Logan is depicted with collar-length hair and a long moustache. His uniform consists of a long belted jacket, boots, gloves and a hat. The horse is striding forward with its proper right front foot raised. The sculpture rests on top of a bronze base which is installed on a low stone base. At each corner of the bronze base is an American Eagle which symbolizes Patriotism. Palm leaves symbolizing Victory adorn the lower portion of the bronze base around the area inscribed with LOGAN.

The relief on the west side of the bronze base depicts Logan, dressed in his military uniform, standing in the midst of a group of his fellow officers who are meeting to discuss the Civil War. On his proper right is a table with a map spread out over it. Three officers study the map as one figure points to something on the map. The other officers look toward Logan who rests his proper left hand on the map and looks out away from the group. The relief on the east side of the bronze base depicts Logan standing before Vice President Chester A. Arthur who is swearing him in as a senator. As a group of Logan's fellow senators look on, Logan raises his proper right arm and Chester Arthur raises his proper left hand holding a book. On the two short sides of the rectangular bronze base are two allegorical female figures. One,representing Peace or Victory, holds out a laurel wreath in her proper right hand and a fasces, the Roman symbol of power, in her proper left. She is dressed in long robes and wears a laurel wreath on her head. The figure on the other end, representing War, holds a shield in front of her with her proper left hand and holds a sword vertically in her proper right hand. She wears a crown-shaped helmet and a dress adorned with armor details.

Portrait male -- Logan, John A. -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- General

Occupation -- Political -- Senator

Occupation -- Political -- Congressman

Figure female -- Full length

Allegory -- Civic -- Peace

Allegory -- Civic -- War

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Allegory -- Civic -- Patriotism

Portrait male -- Arthur, Chester Alan

Occupation -- Political -- Vice President

Figure group -- Male

History -- United States -- Civil War

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

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

Located Logan Circle, Vermont Avenue at 13th & P Streets, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia

Logan participated in the Mexican War and worked as a lawyer and state congressman for Illinois before being elected a U. S. Congressman in 1858. He went on to serve in the army as a Colonel during the Civil War. He was victorious in the battle for Vicksburg and later became commander of the Army of Tennessee. After he left the army in 1985, he helped organize the Grand Army of the Republic for Union veterans, and the Society of the Army of Tennessee. Logan was later elected to the U.S. Senate where he served three terms. At the time of his swearing in as a U.S. Senator in 1879, Chester Arthur was not the Vice President, yet he was included in the base relief for the memorial because Mrs. Logan wished famous men of that time period to be depicted. Logan is remembered for initiating the celebration known as Memorial Day which was first acknowledged on May 30, 1868. The sculpture was erected by the Government and the Society of the Army of the Tennessee at a cost of $65,000.

The bronze base was estimated to take a year to cast, but actually took only 3 1/2 months because the artist paid extra to have the foundry work done around the clock. Cranford Paving Company did the foundation construction and laid the granite for the base, but the sculptor was not happy with the work and new stone had to be ordered in September 1897. When the sculpture arrived from Rome in December 1901, it was stored on the Brooklyn pier for a month. It was too large to be transported by train down to Washington. Instead, it was loaded onto a two-masted schooner and arrived in Washington on January 16, 1901 and was installed shortly afterward.

IAS files contain an excerpt from Jannelle Warren-Findley's Aug. 1, 1985 report for the National Park Service entitled, "A Guide to Selected Statues, Monuments and Memorials," National Capital Parks - Central, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. (RFQ 3-4-1919) which includes a brief maintenance history, a list of bibliographic sources, and notes to additional information found in National Park Service files.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 278-279.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, H-6.

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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