African-American Civil War Memorial ("The Spirit of Freedom” sculpture)

Ed Hamilton, sculptor. Dedicated 1998

Location: 

1925 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Access:

Green Line Metro station: U Street/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardoza Station

Visual Description:

Ed Hamilton’s two sided sculptural assemblage is organized around a curved wall-like shape with rippled markings that may resemble a vast wave perhaps a wave of freedom).  The front side contains four bronze figures of African American military personnel from the Civil War era, three infantrymen bearing rifles, and one sailor grasping a nautical ship wheel.  The bearded soldier has his finger on the trigger of his long gun.   The nautical wheel dissolves into the background structure and is juxtaposed with a bayonet in a scabbard hanging from the belt of the  central bearded soldier.

On the inner side a soldier bearing a rifle is surrounded by civilian family members, including a woman, probably his wife, holding an infant child. Perhaps the soldier is in the act of departing or homecoming. An older Black man, presumably the soldier’s father, reaches out to grasp his son’s wrist, perhaps also touching the rifle he bears. (This may be an act of blessing or benediction). To the far right is an older Black woman, likely the soldier’s mother.  Two Black children, a boy and a girl, the latter holding a doll, standing between the adult figures. The boy reaches out to hold the belt of his grandmother. 

Above the right shoulder of the older, bearded soldier is the evidently female figure of “The Spirit of Freedom,” for which the work is named. This is a human face with crossed arms underneath, perhaps an angel or spiritual guardian, who inspires the troops and may accompany them into battle.

Behind the main sculptural assemblage are two extended curved walls on which are inscribed the names of many of the 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors who served in the Union cause during the Civil War. The names are grouped by regiments, recording the 175 predominantly African American units within the US Army during the Civil War. 

Inscription on Statue front base:

CIVIL WAR TO CIVIL RIGHTS AND BEYOND

THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED IN

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN UNITS OF THE UNION ARMY IN THE CIVIL WAR

THE 209,145 NAMES INSCRIBED ON THESE WALLS COMMEMORATE

THOSE FIGHTERS OF FREEDOM

Inscription on the Statue base:

Spirit of Freedom

Ed Hamilton Sculptor

Inscription on the highest adjacent granite memorial wall:  “Who would be free themselves must strike the blow. Better even die free than to live slaves.” Frederick Douglass March 2, 1863

Historical Background:

Frederick Douglass and other Black civil rights leaders had campaigned for Black military service from the outset of the Civil War, believing that full citizenship would only be secured through military service in combat. White politicians resisted this call until after the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, which authorized the recruiting of Black men into combat roles.  Over 200,000 Black soldiers and Sailors served in the conflict, making inestimable contributions to the ultimate Union victory in the conflict. By the end of the waar, approximately ten percent of the serving Army ranks were Black and about one quarter of  Navy personnel were Black. Blacks, however, were excluded from the senior officer corps.

The enormous contributions of Black military personnel were largely obscured by mainstream historians and public representations for many decades after the Civil War. The major processions of victorious Union army units in Washington DC in 1865 excluded Black servicemen, and Black veterans were often excluded from postwar memorial celebrations. Placing the memorial in the Shaw Neighborhood, near Howard University, a hub of Black civic and economic life in Washington DC, was deemed an appropriate way of “welcoming home” those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and equality.

Interpretive Notes:

The Spirit of Freedom visage at the top of the memorial was presumably inspired in part by the angel hovering over the figures in Augustus Saint-Gaudens’  Robert Gould Shaw Memorial/54th Regiment Memorial,  also discussed in this guide. In contrast to Saint-Gaudens’ angel, who seems to have white or European features, Hamilton’s Spirit appears to be of African descent.

Note as well that the marching Black infantrymen in Saint-Gaudens’ assemblage are presided over by the white officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who sits astride a horse while the Black men march on foot.  In contrast, there are no white officers depicted in the Hamilton sculpture, only Black figures.

Gendered imagery is prominent in the work. The soldiers all carry upright rifles and a bayonet hangs from the belt of the bearded soldier. The entire central assemblage, reminiscent perhaps of a great upthrusting wave or a tree trunk, may also have phallic overtones, emphasizing themes of heroic militant masculinity. The interior or rear enclosure has strong domestic associations, depicting family members of the soldier on the homefront, depicting a tender scene of leavetaking or homecoming.  The central paired figures are a nursing mother (her right breast emphasized) holding a swaddled infant, which is being presented to the young male soldier holding his upright rifle. The soldier himself appears to be being blessed by the family patriarch. There does seem to be clear procreative symbolism here, suggesting that this couple, bearing the blessings of their ancestors,  may be the progenitors of future generations who will live their lives in freedom.

Prompts for closer looking:

• Compare and contrast Ed Hamilton’s sculpture The Spirit of Freedom with Augustus Saint -Gaudens  Robert Gould Shaw Memorial/54th Regiment Memorial  (on view in the National Gallery of Art, West Wing).  What elements are shared, including images of uniformed Black soldiers with army packs and weapons? What are some of the most important differences between the two works?

  
  

• How do you understand the large structure out of which the sculptural figures emerge? Is it a great wave, a tree, or a pillar of rock, or an evocation of a battle flag, or some other element? Perhaps it is a theatrical curtain, revealing the unfolding of a great historical drama.> 

  
  

• How do you understand the Spirit of Freedom figure above the soldiers?  Is the Spirit looking over them or are they defending it? Is this a supernatural being or a symbolic evocation of the idea of Freedom?

  
  

• To your eyes, is the soldier in the rear panel departing for war or coming back home? Is he saying farewell to his young wife and infant child,, or is he rather being presented by his wife with a recently born child whom he has never seen? 

  
  

• Why is the father figure shown reaching out to grasp his son’s wrist?> Is he perhaps murmuring words of encouragement or a prayer? 

  
  

• What is the significance of the swaddled infant?  What might this child represent, in terms of the ultimate goals of the soldier’s service?

  
  

• Why is the little girl depicted holding a doll?  Why does the little boy reach out to hold his grandmother’s belt? 

  
  

• Why do you think the organizers chose to place this memorial in this particular neighborhood? How might its meanings be different if it was placed in a different part of the city?

Suggested Creative Intervention:

Compose a conversation that might take place among the family grouping. What might the civilian family members be saying to the soldier as he departs for war, or returns home?