The Statues That Line the Halls of Congress, Part 1: Nathanael Greene (RI)

I have taken multiple trips to Washington, DC over the years. One place that I always find myself is the United States Capitol building. It houses the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and ultimately the country's legislative branch. Every four years, the president is inaugurated there and our nation's laws and acts are sculpted there.

But, speaking of "sculpting"; if you have ever been to the U.S. Capitol there are a few things that might stick out. The building has new and old features. You can walk somewhere where Henry Clay legislated or Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled over the Supreme Court. One of the interesting features is Statuary Hall and the numerous statues located throughout the building. There are 100 statues to be precise. 2 from every state. They span from politicians to inventors to activists to key contributors to a state's history. As the nation grew and thus the Congress grew; it began to become difficult for such a large body to work in such small confides. Hence, the necessity to construct the two large chambers we see today.

With the U.S. House of Representatives in particular moving to a new, larger chamber during the 1860s; it was decided to honor the states and their history with statues in the hall that congressmen legislated in. However, over time, the weight of all the statues began to crack the floor. Thus, most of the statues would be relocated. At least 1/3rd of them are still in the room but now one can wander hallways, the crypt, the visitor center, and other areas of the building to see the different statues.

Over the course of 100+ posts, I'll highlight each figure that has been sent to the Halls of Congress to be honored. For the longest time, no statues were replaced but four statues have been replaced by a more "modern" individual.

The first statue would arrive in 1870. That statue would be that of Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island. Greene was a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was at the command of the southern campaign that led British general Charles Cornwallis to leave the Carolinas for Virginia. Greene was born in 1742 and die suddenly in 1786 of sunstroke.

Much of  Greene's claim to fame would come from the Revolutionary War and his major efforts in the southern part of the country. The colonists' cause was in disarray in the South under lackluster leadership on the battlefield. Cornwallis looked to be gaining steam until Greene would step in late in 1780. By dividing his troops, Greene forced Cornwallis to reshuffle his strategy and divide his troops up as well. As 1781 began and progressed, British troops were dying or getting captured at a high rate as Greene started to put the British on defense. Greene's strategy would climax with the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781. While the Continental Army had to retreat at the end, they delivered a major blow to Cornwallis' troops as they had to back up and not pursue a northern push. This would be followed by Greene allowing Cornwallis to move north a little while after to open up the Carolinas for the Continental Army to capture. Greene's strategy would lay the groundwork for the latter couple years of the war.

Before and after the war, Greene would serve Rhode Island. In the early 1770s, he was associated with the state Assembly. While after the war, he would be a founding member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati.

While there were big names and figures during the war and during the early years of America's founding, Greene certainly played a role in state as well as the country during both of their early stages.

Thus, this concludes the first part of what will be a lengthy series about the statues of that are part of the Statuary Hall collection.