General Artemas Ward | |
.png) Statue of Artemas Ward in 2008 | |
| Location | Ward Circle, Washington, D.C., United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°56′16.44″N 77°5′9.24″W / 38.9379000°N 77.0859000°W |
| Built | Completion (1938) Dedication (1938) |
| Architect | Leonard Crunelle |
| Part of | American Revolution Statuary |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000256[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1978 |
| Designated DCIHS | March 3, 1979 |
General Artemas Ward is a bronze statue of American Revolutionary War general Artemas Ward. It is sited in the center of Ward Circle, which was specifically made for the statue, at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenue in the American University Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The 10-foot (3.0 m) statue of Ward was completed in 1936, but was not unveiled for two years. Ward was the first Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the Revolutionary War and served in a number of government roles, including as representative to the United States House of Representatives.
Congress authorized the installation of a statue in 1928. Sculptor Leonard Crunelle from Chicago was chosen to create the statue. The pedestal was made from granite from Stony Creek, Connecticut. The president and fellows of Harvard College donated the funds to cover the cost of the statue. The donation fulfilled the terms of the will of Artemus Ward, an alumnus of Harvard and the great-grandson of Major General Artemus Ward, who donated $5,000,000 to the university. The statue was unveiled on November 3, 1938, by the great-great-great-granddaughter of Ward. Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring spoke at the unveiling and accepted it on behalf of the president and the nation. The figure of Ward is wearing a Revolutionary War general's uniform, with a hat and gloves in his left hand, and a cannon at his feet.
The Ward statue is one of 14 American Revolution statues in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. They were listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year.