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

Washington, D.C.

An unfortunate soldier is in the process of falling off his mount. Interestingly enough, the face of the fallen soldier has been purposefully cast to the likeness of its sculpture.

On the other side of the Memorial I find The Artillery Group. This 15-ton sculpture is the largest bronze group ever cast in the United States.

With this group I can get a little closer. Looking at the soldier's faces, I see great concern and fatigue, perhaps even fear and horror. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like to be in their boots. The Civil War took the lives of more than 620,000 men, that's more than 10 times the number of lives lost in the Vietnam War. Back then medicine was still somewhat backward. Get seriously hurt on the battlefield and odds are you're going to die. If you don't die, you'll probably get a nasty infection and/or loose one or more limbs.

Here's a nearby placard giving credit where credit is due.

I think a little more about the artist is in order. Henry Merwin Shrady (1871-1922) was one of the most prolific equestrian sculptors of all time. He didn't initially start out on firm footing, however. An untrained artist, after contracting typhoid fever, he shifted gears from the business world to focus on artistry. After some successes in the sculpture arena, Shrady, competing with 26 other sculptures for the nod to create the Grant Memorial, submitted a model that stood apart from the rest because he envisioned a memorial that only showed the horrors of battle.

In 1903, Shrady and architect William Casey Pearce received the nod to fabricate the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. After more than two decades of work, Shrady completed 99% of the Memorial before passing away just 15 days before the dedication ceremony in 1922. He may not have attended the dedication, but, he certainly lives on in the shapes and colors of this Memorial, his lasting legacy to his beloved country.

Well, that concludes my tour of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. I really love this memorial, I fully appreciate its gritty, rough and tumble portrayal of the Civil War. War is hell, and this Memorial does well to suggest such such events are indeed held in such a horrible place. I give my tour of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial 5 thumbs-up, a perfect rating!

Update: In 2016 the Memorial was restored. Click here to see pictures of the restoration work. Incredible job!