11. Peace Monument




"The Peace Monument, originally envisioned by Admiral David Dixon Porter as the Naval Monument, was erected, without fanfare, at the base of Capitol Hill "In Memory of the Officers, Seamen, and Marines of the United States Navy Who Fell in Defense of the Union and Liberty of Their country, 1861-1865." There was no dedication ceremony, no parade, no bands, no speeches. This was probably due to a running feud between Admiral Porter and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles that dated from the beginning of the Civil War. Porter, in his highly personal account of the navy's role in the war, wrote of Welles that he "served his country...with fidelity and zeal, if not with conspicuous ability". Planned as a tribute to the sailors and marines "who fell in defense of the Union," the Peace Monument is crowned by allegorical figures of America weeping on the shoulder of History, who holds the book in which the heroes' deeds are inscribed." The book's cover reads, "They died that their country might live." Although once a prominent city landmark and meeting place, the Peace Monument has become isolated amid a sea of asphalt and concrete."