U L Y S S E S   S .   G R A N T   M E M O R I A L

Washington, D.C.

Monday, October 25, 2004

Memorial: #2

Erected: The Artillery Group - 1912, The Cavalry Group - 1916, the statue of General Grant - 1920, and The Infantry Panels - 1924.

Highlights: Massive and impressive war memorial, great attention to detail, 13 horses, 4 lions, 22 years of dedicated work by the sculptor.

Lowlights: Sculptor Henry Merwin Shrady died 2 weeks before the memorial's dedication ceremony.

Location: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C, due west of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Hours: Open all year, 24 x 7.

Admission: Free!

Link: Official Website

Rating:

(5 max)

Just west of the U.S. Capital Building I arrive at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. Unfortunately, I drop the ball and fail to take a decent picture showing the entire Memorial. Oops, I'm such an amateur. Click here to get a complete picture of it. As you can see, it's rather expansive, measuring 252 feet by 70 feet. At the center of the Memorial is General Grant atop his favorite horse Cincinnati, to his right is The Cavalry Group, and to the left is The Artillery Group.

This no-holds-barred Memorial strictly shows the horrors of battle, there's absolutely no mention of lofty ideals or principles. There are no plaques parading Peace, Justice, Hope, Rebirth, or whatever. What we have here is Hell on Earth, illustrated in bronze on marble. The two major groups are positioned to run into the center of the Memorial. In doing so, the visitor isn't an idle sightseer, rather, they are at the center of the battle, an active participant in the Civil War maelstrom.

Let's first take a look at the Memorial's Centerpiece, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant, the 18th President of the United States (serving two terms, 1869-77), had a brilliant military career, attaining the highest rank in the U.S. Army as a 4-Star General. In commemoration of his exemplary military service, the memorial reflects the struggles of the Civil War and his strong leadership during those troubled times. The second largest equestrian statue in the world, Grant and his horse, Cincinnati, tower 40 feet into the air.

During battle, as illustrated by the Memorial, we see General Grant and his trusty horse. He is calm and composed, as reportedly the nature of his demeanor; supposedly he was once seen whittling on a stick while watching the warfront play out before him. As you can see, Cincinnati has both front legs planted firmly on the ground, meaning Grant was neither killed (both legs risen) nor injured (one leg risen) in battle. Rather, he died of throat cancer in 1885 at the age of 63 after his run as President and partaking on two year world tour.