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Major General George H. Thomas
Thomas Circle, 14th and Massachusetts Ave NW
Sculptor: John Quincy Adams Ward
Date: 1879
Medium: Bronze


---Thomas, a Virginian and graduate of West Point had served under Robert E. Lee in the west in the pre-civil war army, but in 1861 decided to cast his lot with the Union army.

---the heroic stand of his troops during the Chattanooga campaign in 1863 earned him both the nickname “the rock of Chickamauga” and the command of the Army of the Cumberland. Thomas became a major general after the rousing victory at Nashville where he defeated The Confederate Army of Tennessee.

---at the fourth reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland in 1870 just after Thomas’s death, the members had voted to erect a monument to their fearless, stubborn leader.

---By 1873, the Society after creating committees in each state to raise funds had $10,000. Petitioning Congress, the Society asked for condemned canons for use in casting Thomas’s likeness. Congress agreed, giving 88 old bronze cannons and an appropriation of $25,000 for the statues pedestal.

---1873, seven sculptors submitted models for the statue, none of which were liked by the Society. The Society empowered the search committee to find a nationally recognized artist who would do the General justice

---1874, a contract was signed with New York sculptor, John Quincy Adams Ward for a 14’ high equestrian statue to be produced within 3 years for $35,000.

---Ward’s had come to the attention of the committee thru his previous works which include:

…Seventh Regiment Memorial in New York’s Central Park

…his 1872 portrait statue of Major General John Fulton Reynolds on the spot where Reynolds had fallen on the Gettysburg Battlefield

---this commission was Ward’s most important to date for a couple of reasons:

…commissions for equestrian monuments were hard to come by

…a successful equestrian monument in Washington would lead to future commissions, which it did for Ward (the James A. Garfield and Gen. Philip Sheridan Monuments)

---1875, Ward began working, using photos of Thomas, his uniform, and his saddle which were provided by his wife. Spring of 1879, Ward had completed the plaster model, so he invited the press, officers of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, Thomas’s family, and several army officers to his NY studio to see it. They all loved it! It was put back under wraps until its unveiling in Washington while Ward finished his work.

---November 19, 1879, the national press converged on Washington for the dedication of the statue to Gen. Thomas, leading “Harpers Weekly” to call it the grandest ceremony ever in the capital. The “New York Times” claimed it drew the biggest turnout since the Grand Review of the troops in May 1865. Neither publication was exaggerating since it had only been a mere 12 years since the end of the Civil War, trainloads of veterans arrived, some came for the 11th encampment of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland which had
commissioned the statue, impromptu reunions occurred on sidewalks, in hotels, and in the saloons. The federal government closed for the event.

---the parade second only in size to the Grand Review stretched for over two miles. Homes were decorated with bunting, the circle itself was surrounded with banners bearing the names of all the generals with whom Thomas had served.

---President Rutherford B. Hayes, the cabinet, congressmen, members of the military and many other dignitaries gathered to watch the unveiling. Sen. Stanley Matthews (OH) delivered the address recounting Thomas’s “conspicuous and unselfish devotion to public duty” concluding with this hope “when marble shall have crumbled to clay and brass become corroded by the rust of time, may the liberties of the people which he defended still survive, inspired to deeds of virtue and heroic duty by the memory of his example”.

---when the flags parted, a huge approval went up from the crowd, there was Thomas astride his horse silhouetted against the sky (some said too high).

---together the horse and rider are one of Ward’s most successful works, conveying power, strength, and action. The horse exudes a nervous energy in sharp contrast to the calm confidence of its rider. The horses four legs planted firmly on a slight incline, the horse sniffs the air with dilated nostrils. Its mouth is open, its head tossed back, and its ears are erect, while its mane and tail blow in a stiff breeze. Thomas sits atop, relaxed, wide brim hat in hand (an effect to
allow the viewer a good look at Thomas’s face.

---the veterans in attendance said that Ward had perfectly captured him.

---Critics regard this as one of the best equestrian statues in the city

This equestrian statue of Lieutenant General George Washington, executed by Clark Mills, was dedicated in Washington Circle on February 20, 1860. Mills modeled his 9-foot bronze portrait after Jean Houdon's famous and much copied bust of Washington. The statue was authorized by an act of Congress on January 25, 1853 and again on February 24, 1860. Mills had originally designed an elaborate base, complete with relief panels and additional figures of Washington and his general, but a lack of funds resulted in a much simpler 9-foot, 8-inch marble base. The sculpture was temporarily moved during the early 1960s when the K Street underpass was built. It was reinstalled in 1963.

Washington Circle is a traffic circle located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue, K Street, and 23rd Street, N.W. The through lanes of K Street (U.S. Route 29) travel underneath the circle in a tunnel, while the service lanes intersect the circle.