Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-15
THE SHERMAN STATUE
Originated With Society of
Army Of Tennessee
OVER TEN YEARS AGO
APPROPRIATIONS FOR IT MADE
By CONGRESS.
Contract Awarded in 1896 - Original
ScuIptor Died - Work Finished by
o.hers-Description of Monument.

The first bronze monument to either of
the three great Union leaders in the war
of the rebellion to be erected in tie national
capital is the heroic equestrian statue
with an attendant group of symbolic fig
ures. of General William Tecumseh Sher-
man. who Europe greeted as the greatest
strategist the word hath produced. The
monument stands in n commanding posi-
ton south of the Treasury Department, al
most on the exact spot where, almost 40
years ago. General Sherman roinod his
horse to review for the last time the great
army his genius had conducted tEToUEn
Eae heart of an enemy country to 6 orr
c,s victory and an everlasting peace. 1t
stands - feet above the level Of the street
a PEDESTAL of granite. For more than
ten years the conrad of tie famous
soldier and his grateful country have been
at work rearing this ma@uitCent memorial
The statue and the sculpture groups that
accompany it represent the work of SIX
artists in portraying the creation OF one
artist and the expenditure of more than
S1an.r,n.
The idea to erect lasting memento of
this great federal leader in Washington
originated among the members Of the So
ciety of the Army of the Tennessee The
sum of $1,000 was raised among the vet
Grams to help pay for the memorial On
July :. 1872. a bill passed Congress creating
q commission to select plans and decide
upon a design for a bronze statue of Cen
eral Sherman. The members of this com
mission appointed by Congress We're: Gen.
Grenville NJ. Dodge of New York, Col. David
b. Henderson of Iowa. the Secretary of the
Interior. Mr.. Noble; the Secretary OF W ar.
Mr. EIkins; Col. Cornelius Cadle of Ohio
and Gen. Nelson y. Miles, commanding
the army. From time to time there have
been changes on the commission as new
acts of Congress relating to the statue
were promulgated. SO that now ,he COM
mission includes Gen. Dodge. the ass slant
secretary of war Gen. Robert Shaw OIL
#f..F - he 81
Gen : Is. NJ. Young. and Col. Thomas w.
Symonds. Corps Of Engineers L. S. a.
First Appropriation by Congress.
The first act of Congress appropriated
$4,000 toward the work, and from time
to time as the money was needed additional
appropriations were made The sum of
$3.50 was expended for sketches for the
original competition among sculptors of
the world for the honor of erecting the
statue. There were twenty-three of the
competitors, and from the designs sub
mittCd four We're selected: one by Carl
Rhol- Smith whose design was finally ac-
cepted: one by Bartlett, who was the
sculptor of the Lafayette statue, erected
by the American people in Pans; one by
Paul NoihdUs. and one by M3Ssey-Rind.
Mr.. Rohl-Smith was awarded the contract
to do the work May -, 1886. He immedi-
atey went to work to construct his models.
and he had finished but part of them
when he died in 1894. Since that time the
work has been carried on by Mrs. Rohl-
Smith with the assistance of several we'll
known SculptOrS.
The group of bronzes in the Sherman me-
mortal include heroic equestrian statue
of Gen. Sherman. four bas-reliefs. depict
ing scenes in his life, two allegorical
groups representing Peace and War, four
soldiers, Iife-size. four double medallions
of the corps commanders of Shermans
army. and the badge of the Army of the
Tennessee. The statue rests on pedestal
a about high