General Artemas Ward, Revolutionary War memorial at Ward Circle, Washington DC, United States.
General Artemas Ward is a bronze statue set on a granite pedestal at the junction of Nebraska Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. The figure stands upright in military dress and sits at the center of a traffic circle that surrounds it on all sides.
Congress approved this memorial in 1928 to honor General Ward, who commanded colonial forces as the first Commander-in-Chief at the start of the American Revolution. The initiative was part of a broader effort to recognize the founders of the nation.
The inscriptions carved into the base list Ward's roles as judge, legislator, delegate to the Continental Congress, and military commander. Reading them gives a sense of how central public service was to early American civic life.
The statue stands in the center of a busy traffic circle, which makes it hard to approach on foot. Viewing from the surrounding sidewalks gives a clear look at the figure without needing to cross the road.
Sculptor Leonard Crunelle based Ward's face on a portrait by Charles Willson Peale that hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. That painting connection links the statue directly to one of the country's most storied buildings.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
