''Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben'' is a bronze statue of
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...
, executed by sculptor
Albert Jaegers
Albert Jaegers (March 28, 1868 – July 22, 1925) was an American sculptor.
Life
Jaegers was born on March 28, 1868, in Elberfeld, Germany. He moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio, as a boy. He apprenticed to his father as a wood carver, t ...
.
It is erected in
Lafayette Park in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
[
]
History
The statue was cast in 1909 and 1910 at a cost of $50,000.[ It honors ]Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...
, the Baron von Steuben, a Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n soldier who joined the Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
and instructed the American forces in Prussian military discipline and tactics, allowing them to gain skills necessary to challenge British forces.[ Von Steuben became a naturalized American citizen after leaving the army in 1784 and received a ]land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
in New York.[
The statue was dedicated on December 7, 1910.]["Honor Steuben Today." ''Washington Post'' (December 7, 1910).]
Depiction
The bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
statue is of a standing Baron von Steuben in Continental Army uniform (with sash, boots, tricorn hat
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, hats of this general style were referr ...
, and cape) looking into the distance while inspecting Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
soldiers in 1778. The statue sits atop a square pink granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergrou ...
base: the front and back feature ornament reliefs, and the left and right have figures in bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
.[ The base is flanked by two sets of ]allegorical
As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
figures: one to the southwest and the other to the northeast.[ The figures on the northeast side are two male figures symbolizing military instruction and the figures on the southwestern side are two female figures symbolizing commemoration.][
]
Inscription
The front of the base has the following inscription (topped by an American eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
):[
:ERECTED.BY.THE. CONGRESS/OF.THE.VNITED.STATES. TO/FREDERICK.WILLIAM.AVGVSTVS.HENRY.FERDINAND/BARON.VON.STEVBEN/IN.GRATEFVL .RECOGNITION .OF.HIS/SERVICES/TO/THE/AMERICAN.PEOPLE/IN.THEIR.STRVGGLE.FOR.LIBERTY/BORN.IN PRVSSIA/SEPTEMBER 17, 1730/DIED.IN.NEW.YORK./NOVEMBER 28, 1794/AFTER.SERVING.AS AIDE./DE.CAMP.TO. FREDERICK/THE.GREAT.OF PRVSSIA/HE.OFFERED.HIS.SWORD/TO.THE.AMERICAN.COLONIES.AND WAS APPOINT/ED.MAJOR.GENERAL AND/ INSPECTOR GENERAL IN/THE CONTINENTAL ARMY/HE GAVE MILITARY.TRAIN-/ING.AND.DISCIPLINE.TO/THE.CITIZEN.SOLDIERS/WHO.ACHIEVED.THE.IN-/DEPENDENCE.OF.THE/VNITED.STATES. ./M.C.M.X
The rear of the base contains profiles in relief of von Steuben's aides-de-camp, Colonel ]William North
William North (1755January 3, 1836) was an American soldier and politician.
Early life
William North was born in Bristol, Maine, Pemaquid, Maine, to John North and Elizabeth Pitson in 1755. John was an Irish immigrant and Elizabeth a native o ...
and Major Benjamin Walker, and the following inscription:[
:COLONEL. WILLIAM.NORTH/.MAJOR. BENJAMIN.WALKER/.AIDES.AND.FRIENDS/OF.GENERA.VON.STEVBEN
]
See also
* American Revolution Statuary
American Revolution Statuary is a group of fourteen statues in Washington, D.C., listed with the National Register of Historic Places. The statues are scattered across Washington, mainly in squares and traffic circles, with four statues of Europea ...
* List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
This is a list of public art in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C..
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum.
Most of the works mentioned ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
1910 sculptures
Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to:
Places
*Steuben Township, Marshall C ...
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C.
Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.