Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-27
Carl Rohl Smiths Design Accepted
by the Committee.
CHOICE MADE At FODAY'S MEETING
Chicago's Sculptor to Make the
Great Soldiers Memorial.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGN

Mr. Carl Rohl Smith of Chicago Will have
| the honor and distinction Of erecting a
| structure of granite and bronze In this city
to commemorate the achievements Of Gen.
! William Tecumseh Sherman. This conclu-
| sion was reached at noon today BY the
members of the nat!onal Sherman moEu-
| nent commission, which had assembled in
this city for the purpose Of deciding that
question.
This committee consists Of Secretary La
mont and Maj. Gen. Miles, representing the
| government, and Gen. .. NJ Dodge Of New
York. Gen. j. w. Noble of st. Louis, Gen.
| d. B. Henderson of Dubuque. Iowa; Col.
| Cornelius Cable of Cincinnati, Col. J. F.
Howe Of st Louis. and Col Augustus Ja-
cobson Of Chicago. representing, the Society
| Of the Army Of the Tennessee. All the
gentlemen above named were in attendance
| at today's meeting with the exception Of
| Col. Howe and Col Je cobs,n, both of whom
are now in Europe
| The members Of the committee assembled
| at the War Department at 10 o'clock this
| morning, and after an exceedingly short
| session proceeded in company to premises
No. 17c4 G street northwest, where the four
prize models of the Sherman monument are
set UP IN position. These models are the
designs Of Mr. p. W. Bartlett of Paris, Mr..
J. Massey Rhind Of New York, Mr. c. H.
Niehaus of New York and Mr.. Carl Rohl
SLiitu oi chicago. Ihey have been on nOD-
lie exhibition for the past two weeks and
have attracted considerable attention from
artists and Grand Army men. Senator
Sherman Mrs. Miles and other close rel
atlVes Of the hero Of Atlanta have been
frequent visitors to the improvisad studio
and have shown unusual interest in the
q!Terent designs. All the artists inter
ested in the competition were present dur
ing the visit of the committee this morn
lng and each was given full opportunity
10 explain the motive and merits of his de-
sign
The Announcement Made.
The committee spent over an hour in ex-
amining the different models and then pro-
ceeded to the War Department for consul
citation. 1t remained in session about an
hour. and ct its conclusion Gen Dodge
who apparently had been selected as
spokesman, announced that the committee
had accepted the design of Mr. Carl RohI
Smith OF Chicago and had adopted q reso-
luti'n OF thanks to the other three COM
retins artists for the interest they had
shown in the matter.
General Dodge declined positively 10 give
any further particulars IN regard to the
ceiberatiCns of the committee refusing
specifically to say how the committee voted
or whether the vote in favor of Mr. Smiths
aes!gn was unanimous. The other men,
hers of the committee were even NOR,
reticent than General Dodge and referred
al inquiries to that gentleman
The four designs considered by thr COM
mission We're selected last January IS the
beSt out OF tWenty-sX that had originally
! entered into competition for this work
The monument committee was then assist
ed In their judgment as to the most neri-
,or1ous S design by a committee of artists of
New York. consisting of Messrs. ST. Gar-
Gems, Warner. Post and Price. The art
committee recommended the designs of
Messrs. Rhind Bartlett, Niehaus ana Part
ridge, and the monument committee ap-
proved their report with respect to the first
three names, but substituted the name of
MIR. Carl Rohl Smith for that of Mr. Part
ridge. 1t therefore appears that the sue
Cessful competitor for the Sherman monu-
n ent is the only one of the four entered In
the final competition whose design did not
receive the approval of the committee of
artists.
The Accepted Design.
The accepted design, cut of which ap-
pears on rage of The Star, preserves the
general outline of the first sketch model
submitted by Mr.. Smith, and has been i'm
proved by the addition Of important a-chi-
tectuTal and sculptural features. The
equestrian statue represents the general
seated easily in his saddle looking inteniiy
at some distant object in the field. He
holds a field glass in his right hand, while
his left gIasps the reins in readiness fer
immediate action.
The main pedestal carries the equestrian
statue and two groups, War and "Vic-
torious Peace" symboizirg mankind hor-
ried during the war and happy enjoying
life in time of peace. There four bas
reliefS, one representing General Sherman
and his army on the march through Geor-
Gia; another the battle of Atlanta, July
y, General Sherman overlooking the field
third, General Sherman planning, while
the army sleeps, and another Missionary
Ridge, November a. with the general and
staff in the middel ground.
Four statues on the corner pedestals on
the terrace represent a soldier ready to de-
fend the flag, q cavalryman rejoicing over
victory, an artilleryman on watch, and a
young woman adorning General Sherman's
sword. There are eight portrait medal
lions of the generals corps commanders on
the corner pedeStals. AS in the case of the
other monuments, the base and pedestal
are to be Of granite and the statue and
other figures and the medallions to be of
bronze.
The ground covered by the monument is
Sc feet and Q inches by 40 feet and 6 inch
es. The height Of the equestrian statue
Is II feet inches and the pedestal 36 feet
inches, making the height of the whole
monument exactly 4S feet.
The Site.
In regard to the location of the monu-
ment, Artist Smith says:
THE gentle sloping ground north of the
treasury building, with it's noble Greek
architecture, makes one of the finest sites
in the country for a colossal monument;
and in celebrating my sketch model 1 have
chosen to preserve the classic style of my
most expressive form of representing Gen.
Sherman in sculpture and at the same
time it brings the monument into harmony
with this splendid building. 1 regard it as
highly important that the monument be
thus brought into artistic harmony and re-
latiozship with its surroundings. The in
closed photograph of the monument with
surroundings will explain my idea.
THE canons Of art and the rules for
placing monuments in ancient and modern
times all point in this direction, and 1
think 1t would be fatal to the artistic sue
cess of the memorial to disregard these
considerations.
1.-THE obtuse angle of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. cannot be a serious objection, bearing
in mind that the grounds south of the
treasury building, the White House and
the War Department will be. in a near fu-
ture, converted into magnificent park,
with colossal monuments of art interpreta-
tive Of the countrys history
tn he ed for