Battle Monument
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The Battle Monument, located in Battle Monument Square on North Calvert Street between East Fayette and East Lexington Streets in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, commemorates the Battle of Baltimore, with the British fleet of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
's bombardment of Fort McHenry, the Battle of North Point, southeast of the city in Baltimore County on the Patapsco Neck peninsula, and the stand-off on the eastern siege fortifications along Loudenschlager and Potter's Hills, later called Hampstead Hill, in what is now Patterson Park since 1827, east of town. It honors those who died in September 1814, during the War of 1812. The monument lies in the middle of the street and is between the two Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses that are located on the opposite sides of North Calvert Street. It was sponsored by the City and the "Committee of Vigilance and Safety" led by Mayor Edward Johnson and military commanders: Brig. Gen. John Stricker, Maj. Gen. Samuel Smith and Lt. Col. George Armistead (of Fort McHenry).


Construction

The site of the former first Baltimore County and Town/City Courthouse, torn down in 1809, was originally designated as the location for the newly planned
Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...
. Designed by Robert Mills (1781–1855), the cornerstone of the Washington Monument for Baltimore had just been laid on
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
, July 4, 1815. Fears that the designed shaft of the column would be too tall for the smaller open space of the old Courthouse Square, and might fall over onto nearby close-in townhouses, caused a last-minute change in location. The monument site for the nation's first president was moved further north of the city into "Howard's Woods" of the "Belvindere" estate of Col. John Eager Howard (1752–1827). The monument was built in 1815–25, and is 39 feet (11.9 m) tall. It was designed by Baltimore architect J. Maximilian M. Godefroy, sculptor to the Court of Spain. The base of the monument is an Egyptian Revival cenotaph. It is an unusually democratic monument for the time in that it records the names of all who died, regardless of rank.Dorsey, John & Dilts, James D., ''Guide to Baltimore Architecture'' (1997) p. 145-146. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, Maryland The eighteen layers of the
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
base represent the eighteen states that made up the United States at the time of the war. A griffin is at each corner of the base. The column, carved as a Roman fasces, is bound with cords listing the names of soldiers who died during the battle, while the names of officers who died are at the top.


Female statue

The monument is topped by an 8 feet tall 2,750 pound Carrara marble statue by Antonio Capellano, of a female figure representing the City of Baltimore wearing a crown of victory, holding a
laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...
in one hand and a ship's
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
in the other. It was hoisted to the top of the column during the middle of the period of construction on the eighth anniversary ceremonies, Defenders Day, September 12, 1822.
Colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...
called ''Lady Baltimore'', the statue was relocated to the Maryland Historical Society on October 5, 2013, in order to preserve it from further damage caused by time and nature. It was replaced by a
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
replica A replica is an exact (usually 1:1 in scale) copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without ...
. The monument is the oldest stone monument and first public war memorial in the United States.


Seal of Baltimore

The monument is depicted on the seal of the City of Baltimore that was adopted in 1827 and the city's flag adopted in the early 20th century. File:Seal of Baltimore, Maryland.svg, Seal of the City of Baltimore with the Column. File:Flag of Baltimore, Maryland.svg, Baltimore City's flag with the column.


Depictions in film

The monument is erroneously depicted as being in Washington, D.C. in the 2007 film '' Live Free or Die Hard'' starring Bruce Willis, which had numerous scenes actually filmed in downtown Baltimore.


Inclusion in heritage registries

The Battle Monument was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on June 4, 1973. It is contained within the Business and Government Historic District and is within the Baltimore National Heritage Area.


See also

* Egyptian revival * List of public art in Baltimore * Washington Monument (Baltimore) * Flag of Baltimore


References


External links

*, including photo in 1985, at Maryland Historical Trust website * *
Battle Monument
at Explore Baltimore Heritage
Battle Monument
On Monument City
Incredible 1846 Photo of Battle Monument
- Ghosts of Baltimore blog {{Streets in Baltimore 1825 establishments in Maryland Buildings and structures completed in 1825 1820s in Baltimore 1822 sculptures Baltimore National Heritage Area Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Downtown Baltimore Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States Historic American Buildings Survey in Baltimore Maximilian Godefroy buildings Outdoor sculptures in Baltimore Baltimore City Landmarks Statues of women in the United States