Spirit of Freedom, (sculpture).

Spirit of Freedom, (sculpture).

Hamilton, Ed, 1947- , sculptor.

Doswell, Marc, architect.

New Arts Foundry, founder.

Spirit of Freedom, (sculpture).

African American Civil War Memorial, (sculpture).

1992-1998. Dedicated July 18, 1998.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 9 ft.; Base: approx. H. 2 ft.

Civil War memorial with a bronze sculpture depicting three black soldiers and a sailor. On the back of the semicircular shaped sculpture, families reach out to support the men as they leave to join the war. The bronze sculpture sits on a two foot tall, granite-clad base. Five surrounding granite walls contain 166 burnished stainless steel plaques listing the names of 208,943 soldiers and sailors who served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. The plaques are arranged by regiment. Included among the names are 7,000 white officers who served with the troops.

History -- United States -- Civil War

History -- United States -- Black History

Ethnic -- African American

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Figure group -- Family

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

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

Located U Street & Vermont Avenue, N.W. (10th & U streets), Washington, District of Columbia

The memorial honors the contributions of black soldiers and sailors to the Union cause during the Civil War. The $2.6 million memorial was privately financed. On July 2, 1991, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed a resolution endorsing the memorial, and on July 9, 1992, the U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 320 for the memorial was introduced. It was signed into law four months later. A nonprofit organization, The African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation, was formed to build the monument. In December of 1992, Ed Hamilton was chosen as one of four finalists to complete the sculpture. His original model featured four soldiers and two sailors. Marc Dowell served as assistant architect on the project. Much of the funding for the memorial came from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, as compensation for the disruption caused by subway construction in the Shaw neighborhood where the memorial is located. (The Shaw neighborhood is named after Robert Gould Shaw, who led the Massachusetts 54th Regiment of Colored Soldiers.) The land where the memorial is located was donated by the U.S. National Park Service. The plaza was dedicated on Sept. 12, 1996. The monument was not completed at the time of its unveiling on July 18, 1998 because of construction delays. Dedication ceremonies included a parade of African-American Civil War soldier reenactors.

IAS files contain newspaper articles from the Washington Post dated Sept. 3, 1996, July 15, 1998, B-8; July 16, 1998, D-4; July 17, 1998, C-1, 15; July 17, 1998, C-4; July 18, 1998, C-1,5; and May 20, 1999, B-8. IAS files also contain clipping from Courier-Journal, July 12, 1998, Sect. I, pg. 1, 10.

Washington Post, July 18, 1989, C-1, 5.

America's Battlefields & Memorials (a supplement to newsweeklies published by Army Times Publishing Co, Springfield, VA), June 24, 2002, pg. 14.

Washington Post, July 17, 1998, C-4.

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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