Andrew Jackson Statue - Washington, DC
N 38° 53.967 W 077° 02.193
18S E 323394 N 4307589
A statue of Andrew Jackson as he appeared following the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 is located in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, in Washington, D.C., USA.
Waymark Code: WM4T4R
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 09/26/2008
Views: 63
The following information about this statue is from the
Kitty Tours website:
Subject: Andrew Jackson
Year: 1853
Sculptor: Clark Mills
Location: Lafayette Park
(Pennsylvania Ave. & 16th)
Jackson (1767-1845) is shown here as he appeared following the Battle of New Orleans (fought, unfortunately, two weeks after the treaty to end the War of 1812 was signed). The United States was reluctant to send military support to protect the "western" lands (Tennessee and Kentucky), so Jackson paid for the Tennessee militia out of his own funds. (He was later reimbursed by Congress, although not without great difficulties). Jackson went on to defeat the Spanish occupying Florida and served for a brief while as governor of the Florida Territory. The cannon surrounding the memorial are four rare Spanish cannons he captured in Pensacola.
This is the first equestrian statue ever erected in the United States. It was cast less than a mile from its current location at the foundry of its sculptor, Clark Mills. Mills had never seen an equestrian statue before and practiced making many little wooden models in order to get the balance just right. He was justifiably proud of his accomplishment.
The following information about the Battle of New Orleans is from Wikipedia:
Unaware of the peace, Jackson's forces moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in late 1814 to defend against a large-scale British invasion. Jackson defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 with over 2,000 British casualties and fewer than 100 American losses. It was hailed as a great victory, making Andrew Jackson a national hero, eventually propelling him to the presidency.
The British gave up on New Orleans but moved to attack the town of Mobile. In the last military action of the war, 1,000 British troops won the battle of Fort Bowyer on February 12, 1815. When news of peace arrived the next day, they abandoned the fort and sailed home.
The only text on the statue is on one side of its base. It reads:
Jackson
"Our Federal Union:
It Must Be Preserved."