General John A. Rawlins

General John A. Rawlins is a bronze statue depicting a military officer in uniform holding binoculars, situated on a substantial stone base in a Washington park. The work captures him in a posed stance that reflects his role as a high-ranking military figure during the 19th century.

Congress authorized this memorial in 1872 to honor a prominent military officer from the Civil War era. The statue was moved multiple times during its first decades before finding its permanent home in the park.

The monument belongs to a collection of eighteen Civil War memorials listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

The statue is located in a public park that welcomes visitors during daylight hours and is easily accessible from the surrounding street. You can view it from multiple angles thanks to the elevated base design that makes it visible from a distance.

Bronze from melted cannon weapons from opposing forces was incorporated into the statue's creation, giving it a symbolic quality of transforming conflict into remembrance. This choice reflected a practice of using war materials to forge memorials in the decades after the conflict ended.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Inception: 1872

Creator: Joseph A. Bailly

Part of: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.

GPS coordinates: 38.89569,-77.04197

Latest update: December 12, 2025 12:05