This is a Memorial to the USS Maine- the sinking of which on February 15, 1898 was blamed on the Spanish...and incited the Spanish American War.
The Smithsonian Inventory (
visit link) describes the monument thusly:
" A massive pylon base surmounted by a bronze representation of Columbia Triumphant as a female figure in a seashell pulled by three seahorses. At the base of the pylon is Victory kneeling on a ship's prow. He holds aloft two olive wreaths. Behind him, Peace, a robed female figure seemingly in a trance, stretches out her arms and forms the apex of the triangular group arranged below her. To her right is a figure representing Courage and to her left is Fortitude. On the rear of the monument stands Justice, with eyes closed and arms raised, flanked by figures representing the Warrior and History. Located at either side of the base are the reclining figures representing the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean."
and provides the following inscriptions:
"(Front right side of lower base:) Attilio Piccirilli Sculptor (Front left side of lower base:) Harold Van Buren Magonigle FAIA Architect (Front of base:) TO/THE VALIANT SEAMEN/WHO PERISHED IN THE MAINE/BY FATE UNWARNED/IN DEATH UNAFRAID/MDCCCXCVII/MCMXII (Rear of base:) TO/THE FREEMEN/WHO DIED IN THE/WAR WITH SPAIN/THAT OTHERS/MIGHT BE FREE/MDCCCXCVII/MCMXII (Center of base, rear:) ERECTED THROUGH PUBLIC SUPSCRIPTION /BY THE NATIONAL MAINE MONUMENT COMMITTEE/JAMES GRANT WILSON - CHAIRMAN WILLIAM R. HEARST GEORGE F. SHRADY JOHN W. KELLER J. EDWARD SIMMONS (list of the names of crew members appears of the left side of the base and list of the officers appears on the right side of the base.) (Bronze plaque by Charles Keck on left rear of base:) MEMORIAM /USS MAINE/DESTROYED IN HAVANA HARBOR/FEBRUARY 15TH 1898/THIS TABLET IS CAST FROM METAL RECOVERED FROM THE USS MAINE. (PATRIOTISM/DEVOTION) (Bronze plaque, rear of base:) BY CHARLES KECK, 1913, INSTALLED 1936 signed"
There are some additional photos of the monument on this Wikipedia page (
visit link) which also informs us:
"The Maine is best known for her catastrophic loss in Havana Harbor on the evening of 15 February 1898. Sent to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded suddenly without warning and sank quickly, killing nearly three quarters of her crew. The cause and responsibility for her sinking remained unclear after a board of inquiry. Nevertheless, popular opinion in the U.S., fanned by inflammatory articles printed in the "Yellow Press" by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, blamed Spain. The phrase "Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!" became a rallying cry for action, which came with the Spanish–American War later that year. While the sinking of the Maine was not a direct cause for action, it served as a catalyst, accelerating the approach to a diplomatic impasse between the U.S. and Spain.
The cause of the Maine's sinking remains the subject of speculation. Suggestions have included an undetected fire in one of her coal bunkers, a naval mine and her deliberate sinking to drive the U.S. into a war with Spain."