Equestrian statue of William Tecumseh Sherman in Washington D.C. US

CountryUS
Town:Washington D.C.
Year of creation:1903
Rider(s):Sherman, William Tecumseh

(1820–1891) received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy, as well as criticism for the harshness of the scorched-earth policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States. When Grant assumed the US presidency in 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of the Army. In this post, he was responsible for the US Army’s engagement in the Indian Wars over the next 15 years.
Sculptor(s):Rohl-Smith, Carl

(1848 – 1900) was a Danish American sculptor who was active in Europe and, as from 1886, in the United States. Among his most noted American works is the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument in Washington, D.C.
In 1890, Rohl-Smith was asked to implement Harriet A. Ketcham’s design for the Iowa Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Ketcham’s design was chosen by the state legislature in 1888, but she died of a stroke in 1890. Rohl-Smith was commissioned to finish the work, which was completed in 1896.

Description:

Rohl-Smith received his last, and perhaps greatest, commission in 1895. Renowned American Civil War General William T. Sherman died in 1891. In 1895, the Sherman Memorial Commission issued a call for proposals for an equestrian statue of Sherman. When the competition closed 23 sculptors had submitted proposals. Models of all the proposed statues were exhibited in Washington, D.C., to large crowds. The submission by Carl Rohl-Smith generated the most popular acclaim. The National Sculpture Society (NSS) narrowed the submissions down to a short list of four. The submission by Rohl-Smith did not make the short list. However, the Sherman Memorial Commission overruled the judging committee and chose Rohl-Smith’s design. The NSS was outraged, and protested the award strongly. The New York Times called the decision “one of the most discreditable events ever in the annals of the public art of the United States”. Senator Edward O. Wolcott sponsored legislation to investigate the award process. Although his resolution was not successful, the Senate debate over the award process was rancorous and showed the Senate’s deep distrust of “art experts”. Rohl-Smith was accused of using political influence to win the commission, an accusation he vehemently denied. After two months of protests, the NSS ceased to contest the award.

Unfortunately, Carl Rohl-Smith never saw his Sherman Monument completed. He died in Copenhagen in August 1900.

After winning the Sherman Monument commission, Rohl-Smith moved in 1897 to Washington, D.C. and set up a studio on the White House grounds next to the memorial’s location. A large, barn-like structure was built, intended not only to function as a workshop for the construction of a life-size model of the Sherman monument but also as living quarters for the Rohl-Smiths.

Although the government determined that the contract with Rohl-Smith was null after his death, the memorial commission agreed to allow Rohl-Smith’s assistant and wife, Sara, to oversee the statue’s completion. The monument was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.