Evening star., 1902-05-22
MONUMENTS TO HEROES
RECALLED By UNWILLING OF
RoCHAMBEAU MEMORIAL.
Public Testimonial to Memory Of Tri-
poll War Victims First to
Be Erected.

The erection Of the monument to Rocham-
beau, commemorative of his valuable ser
vice in aid of the United States to secure
independence as a nation, recalls the his
tory of the many monuments which add to
the establishment Of the capital. While
as a nation and people the citizens of the
United States have often been tardy in rec
ognzing valuable service by the erection of
such memorials, in the present instance
over century having passed, there were
some monuments raised within few years
after the death of the parties whose MEM
ory was thus perpetuated. Most of our
monuments and statues have been erected
by the government since the civil war.
Others have been provided for by subscrip
ton; but usually with government aid.
1t is interesting to recall that early in the
last century propositions to place monu-
ment here to the memory of Washington
were discussed in and out of Congress, by
| the Masonic fraternity of which he was
member, and by the public. The popular
sentiment was not a unit in those days for
| many took the ground that such charac-
ter was imperiShable I'm itself and there
was no need for a structure which would
not endure forever. Others claimed that
the city bearing his name, especially in the
form, City of Washington, would be
| lasting monument to the father of his coun-
| try, and others thought the Capitol itself
should be his tomb and place provided
Tor MS remains IN the center the DaSe-
ment.
Equestrian Statue Ordered.
His remains, however, were not removed
from Mt. Vernon and the project for erect
ing monument for the first President took
shape in the passage of the act of July IA,
1882, directing the President (Jackson) to
contract with skillful artist to- execute
in marble pedestrian statue of Washing
ton. to be placed in the center of the ro-
tunda of the Capitol; Under this act the
statue now facing the east front of the
building was executed by Horatio Green
ough and was in 1S41 placed in the rotunda.
This position was found to detract from the
appearance of the work and in compliance
with suggestions of the artist, it was, two
years later, removed to its present loca-
ton. In the meantime the Masonic fra
ternity had the subject of a monument to
Washington under consideration and the
Washington National Monument ASSocia-
tion had been formed. In 1S4S the work
was commenced and the shaft reached 1'S
feet in 1855, when the project was aban-
doned for a time. In 1876 the government
took charge and finished the work, which
reached a height of 555 feet inches in 1884,
the completion being celebrated February
o. following.
First to Be Erected
The first public monument to be erected
in the city was one procured by voluntary
subscriptions of officers of the navy in
war with Tripoli in 1904. and this was
finished and erected here in 1907. 1t was
white marble of the Doric style, and highly
| ornamented. containing, besides the names
of Israel, Somers, Wadsworth and others,
a representation of Tripoli with the figures
of Columbia, Fame and Mercury and suit
able inscriptions. When it arrived Con-
gress had not acceded to the petition of
those concerned for a site in the public
grounds, and it was set up on the plaza at
the Here during the of
1912 it suffered some mutilation at the
hands of the British, some of the orna-
ments being knocked off. 1t remained at
the navy yard till 1881, when it was re-
moved to the west front of the Capitol, and
for years was in the basin. When it was
put into place there the Inscriptions were
renewed, the ornaments and figures re-
stored, and it was of much interest till its
removal to the Naval Academy grounds at
Annapolis, about thirty years ago.
The next monument was statue in
bronze of Thomas jefferson presented by
Lieut.. L. P. Levy. U. S. N, in 1884, to the
United States and placed in front of the
Presidents House, where for forty years
it stood, and in 1874 it was placed in the
National Statuary Hall in the Capitol
Memory of "old Hickory"
For several years the Jackson Democratic
Association (organized in 1920 engaged in
collecting funds for the purpose of erect
ing an equestrian statue of Jackson, and
| rialiZed, SO that in 1853 the bronze statue
of the hero of New Orleans, having been
| completed by Mr.. Clarke Mills, was un-
veiled in Lafayette Square with imposing
ceremonies, a military and civic process
sion of huge proportions for that period
participa ting. This statue cost nearly
$4,000, the governments portion being
nearly $4,000.
The next was the equestrian statue of
Washington, which placed in Wash
ingtOn Circle, at Pennsylvania avenue and
23d street, and unveiled in 1860. This
the work of Mr.. Mills. and it was the first
in which the government bore the entire
expense, which was nearly. 100000. When
1t was unveiled lnere was great process
sion of military and civic societies, included
| in which were the New York 7th Regiment
Prior to Civil War.
This was the sum total of the monu-
ments and statues erected before the civil
| war. The few to public men in the ceme-
teries are excepted, such as those to Gen.
Macomb, Vice President Clinton and others.
Since the war a number of those who
dered important military service and some
others have been honored. The first was
| that erected to Lincoln by the citizens of
Washington in front of the court house, or
| city hall, and soon after that the Peace
monument, erected by officers of the navy
| near the foot of the west grounds of the
Capitol Then followed the bronze eques-
trlan STATUES oi zen. " lnHefd Scout, a nero
of the war of IL and of the Mexican war;
| Gen. Nathaniel Greene of the revolutionary
war, Gems. Garfield, Hancock, Mcpherson
and Thomas of the civil war; the statues
| to Gen Rawlins, Admirals Dupont and
Farragut, Chief Justice John Marshall
Lincoln emancipating the slave and Prof
Henry and Gen. Albert Pike in different
| parts of the city, with the fine bronze
monument to Lafayette on the southeast
corner of the square bearing his name
Thus have some of our noted men been
honored.
ERUPTIoNs OF vEsUvIUs.