The Tripoli Monument is the oldest military monument in the United States. It honors heroes of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from the

First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war ...

(1801–1805): Master Commandant Richard Somers, Lieutenant James Caldwell, James Decatur (brother of Capt.

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

), Henry Wadsworth, Joseph Israel, and John Sword Dorsey. It was carved in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

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in 1806 and brought to the United States on board the famous 1797 frigate ("Old Ironsides"). From its original installation in the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

at the new national capital of

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in 1808, it was later moved to the west front terrace of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

facing the

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in 1831, and finally to the

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campus in

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in 1860.

Description

The monument is made of Carrara marble with a

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

base and measures . It is also known as the U. S. Naval Monument, the Naval Monument, and the Peace Monument. The designer was Giovanni Charles Micali (sometimes Giovanni Carlo Micali), who signed his work as ''Giov. Charles Micali Invento·In Livorno 1806''.

Inscriptions

On the north side of the monument's base is Micali's signature as described above. On the west side of the monument's base is inscribed: On the east side of the monument's base: On the south side of the monument's base: On each face of the larger bottom base is inscribed: Near the monument is a brass historical plaque placed there after a restoration undertaken in 2000. The first two paragraphs of the plaque are

History of the monument

At the conclusion of the

(1801–1805),

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

David Porter, USN assumed the task of creating a suitable monument for the fallen officers. Working with the

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, Porter commissioned Micali to produce the piece for $3000, half of Micali's usual fee. Completed in 1806, it was shipped across the

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on board the (famous frigate "Old Ironsides"), and then shipped south to the newly laid out national capital of

After awaiting funds for assembly and erection, the structure was finally placed at the

on the banks of the Eastern Branch (now the

Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid-Atlantic states, Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Ch ...

) of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

, as the ''Naval Monument''. Vandalized and damaged by the occupying

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

at the

burning of Washington The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Amphibious warfare, amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, Georg ...

in August 1814, during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the monument was later restored. In 1831, it was moved to the

on the west front facing the

, much to the dissatisfaction of Porter, who found it had "been placed in a small circular pond of dirty fresh water—not large enough for a duck puddle—to represent the Mediterranean Sea." Resolution came in 1860 when the monument was moved to the campus of the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

. Even there, as the Academy expanded, the monument was moved and relocated several times around campus, before finally being situated in front the Academy's Officers' and Faculty Club. In August 1994, the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

noted that the ''Tripoli Monument'' needed treatment. The needed restoration of the monument was completed in June 2000. There is some conjecture that the figures of ''Glory'', ''History'', ''Commerce'', and ''Fame'' are not in Micali's original positions. The adjustment may have occurred in the transition to the Capitol in 1831.

References

External links

*{{cite web, title=Object #18: The Tripoli Monument, url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJK1YeZiMYo, publisher= U.S. Naval Academy Museum, accessdate=8 May 2014, author=A History of the Navy in 100 Objects, format=video Monuments and memorials in Maryland 1806 sculptures

Buildings A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

Vandalized works of art in Maryland 1808 establishments in Maryland First Barbary War