''John J. Pershing General of the Armies'', is a public artwork by American artist
Robert White, located at
Pershing Park
The National World War I Memorial is a national memorial commemorating the service rendered by members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I. The 2015 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the World War I Centennial Commiss ...
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, ...
, United States. ''John J. Pershing General of the Armies'' was originally surveyed as part of the
Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999.
History
Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...
survey in 1994. The monument is a tribute to United States Army general
John J. Pershing.
Description
The sculpture shows General Pershing standing with his head slightly turned, as if overseeing a battlefield in front of him. His proper right hand raises
binoculars to his eyes and his proper left hand holds his hat at his side. Wearing a World War I uniform with
knickerbockers, tall boots and a long belted jacket, he steps forward with his proper left foot.
Resting on a square of red
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 under ...
(51 × 53 × 53 in.) in a small plaza, the sculpture is flanked by two tall granite walls.
The front of the rear wall is inscribed (rear wall: H. 10 ft. W. 3 ft. L. 31 ft.):
:JOHN J. PERSHING
:GENERAL OF THE ARMIES.
The back of the rear wall is inscribed:
:IN THEIR DEVOTION, THEIR VALOR, AND IN THE LOYAL FULFILLMENT OF THEIR
:OBLIGATIONS, THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES
:HAVE LEFT A HERITAGE OF WHICH THOSE WHO FOLLOW MAY EVER BE PROUD
:JOHN J. PERSHING
:(Pershing's signature)
The front left wall, which is divided into four sections features an extensive text regarding Pershing's involvement in the
Western Front, his leadership in
First United States Army
First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Kore ...
, the signing of the
Armistice with Germany
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
, the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and an inscription reading (H. 10 ft. W. 3 ft. L. 49 ft.):
:ERECTED BY:
:AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION
:WALLACE K. HARRISON ARCHITECT
:FREDERICK (...transcription illegible)
:ENGINEER
:ROBERT WHITE SCULPTOR
:1983
Information
Authorized by
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
on April 2, 1956, the
American Battle Monuments Commission
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorials and monuments primarily outside the United States.
...
paid the $400,000 for the park.
The sculpture was dedicated in October 1983.
Condition
This sculpture was surveyed in 1994 for its condition and was described as "well maintained."
Further reading
*Walgren, A. S.(2016). The “Forgotten Man” of Washington: the Pershing Memorial and the Battle over Military Memorialization. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3543
References
External links
Monument on dcMemorials.
Monument on hmdb.com
{{Public art in Washington, D.C., state=expanded
Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
1983 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.