Browse Exhibits (2 total)

Throughout history, equestrian monuments have paid tribute to prominent military leaders. In ancient Rome, for instance, equestrian monuments played the role of “honoring the emperor for singular military and civic achievements,”[1] framing the equestrian monument as a tool that lifts the subject above their contemporaries and captures a particular moment of power and control. Equestrian monuments became particularly popular after the United States Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy erected equestrian statues to commemorate prominent military leaders. The Statue of General Ambrose E. Burnside, located in Burnside Park, Providence, Rhode Island, serves as another example of this movement of equestrian monuments. The monument was built by Irish sculptor Launt Thompson and dedicated on July 4th, 1887.[2] The immensely grandiose dedication and the extensive celebrations that surrounded it suggest that the General Committee and the subsequent Building Committee that was established intended for it to have a very nuanced function. Based on the dedication of the monument and the articles published in The Providence Journal, the Statue of General Ambrose E. Burnside was intended to establish a flawless, glorified version of Burnside’s life in history, to promote a heroic, unwavering image of selfless patriotism for Rhode Island and the United States, to glorify military service, and to promote a noble ideal of white manhood.