A Lincoln "Saying"

[Miss_Bellatrix]

(04-17-2016 12:21 PM)L Verge Wrote:  It's called the Ugly Betty statue (not sure why because I think it is magnificent), but the memorial to Gen. Grant that stands at the western base of Capitol Hill gives war horses their proper due. It's a shame that more people don't know about it. Just its placement, to me, seems to symbolize Grant's saving of the Union. When you view it, you also get a great view of the U.S. Capitol.

The central figure is Grant astride his horse on a marble base, but the separate monuments on either side of him are what are terrific to me. One shows the cavalry in action, and the other shows the artillery. The facial expressions on both men and beasts tell a great story by themselves. Near the base of one of those is the head of a soldier who is being trampled. It is believed to be a self-portrait of the sculptor Schrady.

Google Grant Memorial on Capitol Hill if you are not familiar with this statue.

Laurie, thanks for posting this! This will be a must-see for me next time I'm in DC. I'm guessing Grant would be on his favourite horse Cincinnati.

And Roger, thanks for posting the article about the horses! It's one I haven't read yet so I'm looking forward to reading it.

I am fascinated with horses from the Civil War and I have a collection of horse figures (made by a company called Shleich) that I named after a few of the General's horses (Union and Confederate). It's been interesting doing research and finding out what the names of the horses were. Even better is when I can find a photo of them.