Grant, Ulysses S.

The most impressive statue of him forms part of the Grant memorial Washington DC, west of Capitol Hill. Henry Merwin Shrady was the winner of the competition, during which 27 designs were submitted. Shrady worked for 20 years on the memorial and died, stressed and overworked, two weeks before its dedication in 1922 on the 100th anniversary of Grant’s birth.

The monument consists of an artillery and a cavalry group – including a fallen rider, modelled on Shrady himself, moments from being trampled by the onrushing horses – four bronze lions and a tall equestrian statue of Grant. A striking feature of this statue is Grant’s calm attitude amidst the dramatic fighting scenes around him. Grant was known for his calmness and cool headedness during battle. The monument is one of the biggest in the US. All together it is a memorial not only to Grant, but also to the troops he commanded.

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