Shrewsbury
Historical Society
Established 1898
Mario - Fats - Caruso
1928 - 1993
Mario - Fats - Caruso
1928 - 1993
Major General Artemas Ward Statue
Center of Ward Circle in Washington, D.C.
On October 27, 1774 Artemas Ward was commissioned as a Brigadier General by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Ward was promoted to Commander in Chief of Massachusetts' colonial army on May 19, 1775. The next month the Continental Congress promoted him to Major General. George Washington was the only military officer who held seniority over Ward. He led forces defending Boston during the siege of the city until the arrival of General Washington.
An Act of Congress on May 21, 1928, authorized the plan to install a statue.[1] The 10-foot statue of Ward was carved in 1936, but was not unveiled for two years. The pedestal was made from granite from Stony Creek, Connecticut. The statue is located in the center of Ward Circle, specifically made for the statue, at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues in the American University Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
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 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. [2]
Statue Memorial
Ward’s great-grandson, also named Artemas Ward, bequeathed $5,000,000 to Harvard University, on the grounds that Ward's home be maintained and turned into a museum, and by other means which would highlight Ward's contribution to U.S. history. Officials at Harvard chose to commission a statue of Ward, one that would be located in the nation's capital.
The person the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) chose to create the statue was Leonard Crunelle, a sculptor from Chicago. With assistance from another descendant, Florence Ward, Crunelle was able to see some of Ward's original clothing, including his sash. In July 1931, Harvard officials told Crunelle what type of statue and pedestal they had in mind, including a bronze statue, granite pedestal, and allegorical figures. The compensation for the statue was $49,000, and in the contract the statue and pedestal were to be ready by 1936.[3]
Due to the rising costs of bronze, the original equestrian design was changed to Ward standing.[4] Meanwhile, the engineering department of Washington, D.C.'s government worked on creating the traffic circle, with plans for American University to expand around it.[5] In September 1937, the National Capital Parks issued a permit for the statue and announced the traffic circle would be named Ward Circle.[6]
Statue Design
General Ward is depicted standing erect, looking forward, and wearing his Continental Army uniform. The uniform includes a long cape modelled from Ward's actual cape, a double-breasted coat, vest, and boots. His three-cornered hat and gloves are held in his left hand. He is walking forward, with his left foot out in front of the other. His sword handle is barely visible by his left side. At the base of the statue is a cannon.[7] Ward's face was modelled from a portrait made by Charles Wilson Peale.[8]
The base of the statue bears the inscription [9]:
ARTEMAS WARD
1727–1800
SON OF MASSACHUSETTS
GRADUATE OF HARVARD COLLEGE
JUDGE AND LEGISLATOR
DELEGATE 1780–1781
TO THE
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
SOLDIER OF THREE WARS
FIRST COMMANDER
OF THE PATRIOT FORCES
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"City's Newest Statue". The Evening Star. June 7, 1931. pp. A5.
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"General Ward". Harvard University. Archived from the original on June 15, 2025. https://wardhouse.harvard.edu/general-ward
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Goetz, Rebecca Anne (2005). "General Artemas Ward: A Forgotten Revolutionary Remembered and Reinvented, 1800-1938" (PDF). American Antiquarian Society.
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"General Artemas Ward, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Archived from the original on June 15, 2025.
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"Details Drafted for Ward Circle". The Evening Star. March 15, 1933. pp. B-1.
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"Permit Granted for Ward Statue". The Evening Star. September 20, 1937. pp. B-1.
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"General Artemas Ward, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.
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Scott, Gary (October 3, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form - American Revolution Statuary". National Park Service.
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"General Artemas Ward Memorial". National Park Service.