The equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant is a public

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Located in Fairmount Park, the monument honors

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, who served as a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and later as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. The monument was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and consists of an

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

atop a

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

. The statue was dedicated in 1899.

History

Background

The son of

Jesse Root Grant Jesse Root Grant (January 23, 1794 – June 29, 1873) was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He is best known as the ...

and Hannah Simpson Grant,

was born in Point Pleasant,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

on April 27, 1822. In spring 1839, at the age of 17, Grant enrolled in the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, New York, graduating several years later in 1843. Several years later, Grant saw action in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Grant, who by this time had pursued a civilian career, returned to military service in the

, where he rose through the ranks as a commander, and in 1864 was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. Grant's military service culminated in

Lee's surrender The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...

on April 9, 1865, which marked the start of the

conclusion of the American Civil War The conclusion of the American Civil War commenced with the articles of surrender agreement of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, at Appomattox Court House, by General Robert E. Lee and concluded with the surrender of the '' Shenand ...

. Following the war, Grant was elected

in the 1868 United States presidential election, a position he would hold until 1877. Grant died several years after leaving office on July 23, 1885.

Creation

Following Grant's death, the Fairmount Park Art Association in

began to

fundraise Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

for the creation of a

honoring Grant in the city's Fairmount Park. By March 1886, the association had raised $12,153.56, which by 1893 had grown to $23,450.50. Additionally, the Philadelphia City Council provided $9,000 in additional funding. Following this, the association accepted proposals from various American sculptors, ultimately selecting Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter to design an

of Grant, with French designing the sculpture of Grant and Potter designing the horse. They were officially commissioned on January 23, 1894. The statue was cast by the

Bureau Brothers Foundry Bureau Brothers Foundry was a foundry established by two French immigrants, Achille and Edouard Bureau, in Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commo ...

in Philadelphia, with the statue's

Dedication

By Fall 1897, the monument was completed and put in place in Fairmount Park, with tentative plans to unveil the monument on April 27, 1898 (Grant's birthday). However, the sinking of the USS Maine and the subsequent declaration of the Spanish–American War in 1898 caused the dedication ceremony to be delayed. Subsequently, the ceremony was rescheduled to October 27, 1898 ( Military Day). However, issues related to an associated

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

caused the ceremony to once more be rescheduled to April 27, 1899. In Fall 1898, President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

was invited to attend the ceremony, which he accepted. Additional invitations were extended to members of the President's cabinet, several

military officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, and members of Grant's family. At 2:00 p.m. on the date of the ceremony, a

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

was held through the city to Fairmount Park, with President McKinley escorted by the

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decora ...

. In addition to the previously listed guests, the procession included many

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

. At 3:00 p.m., the procession ended and the guests took their places near the monument. With the guests in place at the monument, the First Battalion, Naval Force of Pennsylvania performed a

21-gun salute A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...

for the President. Following this, Philadelphia Mayor Samuel Howell Ashbridge introduced

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Ozi William Whitaker Ozi William Whitaker (May 10, 1830 – February 9, 1911) was a leading evangelical in the Episcopal Church who became missionary bishop of Nevada and Arizona, then coadjutor and eventually the 5th diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Penns ...

of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, who gave an

invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. * Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms ...

for the monument. This prayer was followed by an address by Ashbridge, after which the monument was officially presented to the city by John H. Converse, the president of the Fairmount Park Art Association. As Converse's speech came to a close, Algernon Edward Sartoris and his sister Rosemary Sartoris (grandchildren of Ulysses S. Grant) moved to the top of a large platform next to the monument and removed the bunting that covered the statue. A 17-gun salute was performed by troops at the ceremony, which was followed by another 17-gun salute performed by the USS ''Raleigh'', which was anchored nearby in the Delaware River. An

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...

, which had been used by General

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

at his headquarters in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, was draped around the pedestal. It had been sent to be used in the ceremony by the National Society, Children of the American Revolution. Following the statue's unveiling, an additional speech was given and French and Potter were introduced to the crowd, to large applaud. Three

wreaths A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

were placed on the pedestal, presented by the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(which Grant had been a member of), Chinese ambassador to the United States

Wu Tingfang Wu Ting-fang (; 30 July 184223 June 1922) was a diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and briefly as Acting Premier during the early years of the Republic of China. He was also known as Ng Choy or Ng Achoy (). Ed ...

, and the Society of Daughters of the Revolution. Afterwards, another parade was held with President McKinley and other distinguished guests, which was followed by a celebratory dinner held at the

Union League of Philadelphia The Union League of Philadelphia is a private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. As of 2022, the club has over 4,000 members. Its main building was built in 1865 and ...

. The final part of the festivities related to the monument's dedication took place later that night at the Academy of Music, where multiple orations were given regarding Grant and the statue.

Design

According to a publication issued by the Fairmount Park Art Association after the monument's unveiling, the statue depicts a moment when Grant is surveying a

battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

. Ulysses's son

Frederick Dent Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

assisted the sculptors in the design of Grant's hat and overcoat. The statue of the horse is modeled after General Grant, a gelding descended from a horse owned by Grant. The statue weighs approximately and has a height of slightly over . The granite pedestal for the statue is a pale pink and also has a height of slightly over . The front of the pedestal features a bronze wreath surrounding the word "GRANT". The monument is located at the intersection of Fountain Green Drive and East Park River Drive inside the park.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{Daniel Chester French 1899 establishments in Pennsylvania 1899 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant Culture of Philadelphia Equestrian statues in Pennsylvania East Fairmount Park Monuments and memorials in Philadelphia Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia Sculptures by Daniel Chester French Sculptures of men in Pennsylvania Statues of Ulysses S. Grant Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Pennsylvania