By Craig Howell
Washington, D.C.
Friday, October 14, 2022
A Lincoln Group Special Event: Earlier this year, the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia organized the highly successful ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, anchoring the western end of the National Mall.
Too easily forgotten, though, this year also marks the centennial of the dedication of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial at the opposite end of the Mall, at the foot of Capitol Hill.
Sadly enough, the Grant Memorial has been hiding in plain sight for these past 100 years.
Before 2022 expires, it is altogether fitting and proper that the Lincoln Group of DC should visit this site and get an in-depth tour and interpretation from our own resident guide, Craig Howell. He will explain how this unusual Memorial honors not only Grant but the men who soldiered under his command. Craig will also tell us much about the Memorial's sculptor, Henry Shrady, who literally worked himself to death over a 20-year span to see his unique vision brought to life. Craig will also explain how this Memorial was originally intended to be as grand and as central to the Mall as the Lincoln Memorial--a role you can scarcely imagine today.
LGDC members and their guests are invited to gather at 2 p.m. on Veterans Day, Friday November 11, on the First Street (back steps) side of the Memorial, between the Garfield Monument at the foot of Maryland Avenue SW and the so-called Peace Monument at the foot of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Free. Those coming by Metro should get out at the Federal Center SW Station, turn left at the top of the escalators to walk north past Independence Avenue to Maryland Avenue, turn right on Maryland Avenue past the U.S. Botanical Garden, and turn left at Garfield Circle to get to the back steps of the Grant Memorial. Craig's talk should end by 2:30.
There is no need to RSVP; just show up for this special event.
Detail on the Memorial: A Civil War Cavalry Charge