General Winfield Scott Statue

The equestrian statue of General Winfield Scott stands at the center of Scott Circle, a small park and traffic circle at the intersection of 16th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Rhode Island Avenue in northern Washington, D.C. The monument honors the career military man, who served under every president from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln and held an unprecedented tenure as commanding general of the U.S. Army. The bronze sculpture was created by New York sculptor Henry Kirke Brown and installed in 1874. It rests on a massive granite pedestal made from a single block, which at the time of its construction was considered the largest stone ever quarried in the United States. The pedestal is architecturally ornamented and bears the inscription SCOTT on its south side. The statue itself shows Scott in the field uniform of a lieutenant general, with hat, long jacket, and decorative belt, seated on a horse and holding a field glass in his hand.

The design of the monument was controversial from the start. Brown had originally modeled a small mare, since Scott preferred that type of horse. After protests from the general's family, who thought a more imposing animal would be more fitting, only minimal changes were made. The result was a set of proportions that critics called awkward and ridiculous. Scott, who was known as a tall, heavy man, looked out of proportion on the slender horse, which drew ridicule. Historians and writers today often regard the sculpture as one of the weakest equestrian statues in the city, especially compared with other monuments nearby. Despite the negative reception at its unveiling, the monument set off an upswing in the surrounding area, which became a sought-after residential neighborhood for wealthy citizens.

Today the monument is maintained by the National Park Service and is listed among the historic sites of the United States. Scott Circle lies on the border of the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods and is considered the southeastern endpoint of Embassy Row, where the Embassy of Australia faces the circle. The statue looks south toward the White House. The park itself is not designed for pedestrian traffic, as there are no sidewalks directly along the traffic circle; instead, visitors use the adjoining small green spaces to walk around the area. These side plots hold additional historic monuments, including the Daniel Webster Memorial and the Samuel Hahnemann Monument.