From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peace Monument
Peace Monument
art (including an angle, a gear, a book, and a pair of
dividers) signify the progress of civilization that peace
makes possible.
At the corners of the monument, four marble globes
are visually supported by massive brackets. The fountain
below, with a jet on each side, empties into a quatrefoil-
shaped basin. Its inscription reads: "In memory of the
officers, seamen and marines of the United States Navy
who fell in defense of the Union and liberty of their coun-
try, 1861-1865."
The sculptor of the monument was Franklin Simmons
(1839-1913), who was born in Maine, where he became
known for his portrait busts. He worked in Rome after
1867, when he received the commission for a statue of
Roger Williams for the National Statuary Hall collection.
In all, he created four statues and three busts for the
United States Capitol. The Peace Monument is an exam-
ple of his idealized neoclassical sculpture.
The Peace Monument, first intended for Annapolis,
Maryland, was conceived by Admiral David Dixon Porter,
Peace Monument who had commanded fleets of gunboats and troop trans-
ports during the war. Porter first sketched a simple de-
The Peace Monument also known as the Naval Mon-
Monument, sign depicting Grief and History; beginning in 1865, he
ument or Civil War Sailors Monument stands on the
Monument, raised funds from private contributors, and the monu-
grounds of the United States Capitol in Peace Circle at ment was commissioned from Simmons in 1871. The
First Street, N.W., and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washing- sculptor carved the Carrara marble in Rome and worked
ton, D.C. The 44 foot (13.4 m) high white marble memo- directly with Admiral Porter on many changes in the de-
rial was erected in 1877-1878 to commemorate the naval signs, including the addition of other figures. The archi-
deaths at sea during the American Civil War. Today it tectural part of the monument was made by the Bonan-
stands as part of a three-part sculptural group including ni Brothers of Carrara, Italy, under Simmons’s direction.
the James A. Garfield Monument and the Ulysses S. Grant The marble pieces were shipped to Washington in 1876;
Memorial. in 1877 the monument was erected on the base of Maine
At the top of the monument, facing west, stand two blue granite (designed by Architect of the Capitol Edward
classically robed female figures. Grief holds her covered Clark); and the final figure, Peace, was set into place in
face against the shoulder of History and weeps in mourn- January 1878.
ing. History holds a stylus and a tablet that was inscribed The statue is a contributing monument to the Civil
"They died that their country might live." Below Grief War Monuments in Washington, DC, of the National
and History, another life-size classical female figure rep- Register of Historic Places.
resents Victory, holding high a laurel wreath and carry-
ing an oak branch, signifying strength. Below her are the
infant Mars, the god of war, and the infant Neptune, god
Gallery
of the sea. The shaft of the monument is decorated with • Grief holds her covered face against the shoulder of
wreaths, ribbons, and scallop shells. History and weeps in mourning.
Facing the Capitol is Peace, a classical figure draped • Victory with infants Mars and Neptune
from the waist down and holding an olive sprig. Below • Peace
her are symbols of peace and industry. A dove, now miss-
ing and not documented in any known photographs,
once nested upon a sheaf of wheat in a grouping of a
Other Navy memorials
cornucopia, turned earth, and a sickle resting across a • United States Navy Memorial#Other Navy memorials
sword. Opposite, the symbols of science, literature, and
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peace Monument
See also External links
• Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial • Architect of the Capitol website: Peace Monument
• United States Navy Memorial Coordinates: 38°53′26″N 77°00′44″W / 38.8906341°N
77.0123309°W / 38.8906341; -77.0123309
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peace_Monument&oldid=473307233"
Categories:
• American Civil War sites
• Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
• United States military memorials and cemeteries
• United States Capitol grounds
• United States Navy
• Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
• 1878 establishments
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