Monday, June 21, 2010

Random Shots from Washington D.C.


Looking through the photographs on my digital camera this evening I noticed that I had a number of various images that probably would not make for a single complete posting, but that I thought were interesting and wanted to share.

The image above is a silver goblet that was presented to South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks by his Edgefield District constituents for his caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner in 1856 and is on display at the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. I had read that people all across the South sent Brooks canes to replace the one that he broke on Sumner, but the expense of a silver cup must have been significant at that time.


The National Museum of American History's ongoing exhibit "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War" is an amazing array of artifacts from the French and Indian War through our present conflicts. I thought the parts of the exhibit that covered the Mexican War and the Civil War were especially well done. The above case included a John Brown pike and Sharp's rifle. Another part of the exhibit also displayed a cannon from "Bleeding Kansas," a box of "Beecher's Bibles," a sporting Sharps rifle that was presented to Brown from an admirer, and a Maynard pistol that Brown's party had brought to Harpers Ferry.


This image of John Brown was on display at the National Portrait Gallery. This is the second time I had been to this museum, but I saw a number of things this time that I had apparently missed on my first visit. At present, they are exhibiting a number of Civil War portraits. It is a don't miss stop if you make it to D.C.


The G.A.R. monument on Pennsylvania Avenue was dedicated in 1909 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



This unique version of the preamble to the Constitution was at the American Art Museum which shares its building with the National Portrait Gallery.




The National Archives and Records Administration is now exhibiting "Discovering the Civil War: Part 1-Beginnings" until September. I was really impressed with the choice of documents that this exhibit is displaying. It gives a number of different perspectives on the causes of the war and why people chose to fought for their particular side. I found that I spent a significant amount of time using the interactive display on the personal connections that a number of the people in the war shared.



The General Winfield Scott Hancock monument at 7th and Pennsylvania and near the National Archives building was dedicated in 1896.



The African American Civil War Memorial is located on historic U Street. The monument was sculpted by Kentuckian Ed Hamilton and was completed in 1997. The memorial is now managed by the National Park Service.



The monument also honors the black sailors that served in the Union Navy.



This image shows the reverse of the monument.



Behind the monument is a listing of over 209,000 soldiers from each USCT regiment, as well as sailors, that served in the Civil War.



A statue of Frederick Douglass at the Visitor Center of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

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