General Galusha Pennypacker Memorial

Galusha Pennypacker was a native of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, who enlisted in the United States Army during the American Civil War.[1] He became the captain of a company within the 98th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and was wounded during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in 1865.[1] Shortly thereafter, at the age of either 20 or 22,[note 1] he became the youngest person to be promoted to the rank of general in the U.S. Army.[1][2] Following the war, Pennypacker held various military commands in the American South during the Reconstruction era.[4] He retired from military service in 1883 and died in 1916.[4]

The idea for a memorial honoring Pennypacker in Philadelphia was the result of a collaboration between the General Pennypacker Memorial Commission and the Pennsylvania State Art Commission.[2][5] Work on the design of the memorial was begun by Philadelphia-based sculptor Charles Grafly,[1][6] who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[2] However, in 1929,[7] while working on the memorial, Grafly died.[2] However, prior to his death, he had designed the general concept for the monument's appearance,[2][6] and work on the art continued under the supervision of sculptor Albert Laessle, who had been a student of Grafly.[1] The work was completed in 1934,[1] with the casting done by the Roman Bronze Works of New York City.[5]

The memorial at its unveiling in 1934

The memorial, located near the intersection of 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Circle,[2] was formally dedicated on June 1, 1934, Pennypacker's birthday.[4] The ceremony was attended by a large number of spectators and saw the involvement of many civic groups in the city, including the Grand Army of the Republic posts, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Society of the Cincinnati, and several art societies in the city.[4] The ceremony commenced with a playing of "America" by the 108th Field Artillery Regiment band.[4] The dedication was then called to order by Isaac R. Pennypacker, a cousin of Galusha's, before an invocation was given by the Reverend Louis Washburn of Christ Church, Philadelphia.[4] The memorial was then presented by Richard J. Beamish, the secretary of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on behalf of the governor of Pennsylvania to the city of Philadelphia.[8] The memorial was then unveiled by a granddaughter of Pennypacker's and accepted by J. Hampton Moore, the mayor of Philadelphia.[8] The rest of the ceremony included a presentation of the sculptor, who was introduced to the crowd by architect Warren Powers Laird, an address by Major General William G. Price Jr., a dedicatory prayer by Washburn, and multiple songs, with the ceremony closing to a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner.[4]

In 1993, the memorial was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! program.[5] Since the turn of the century, the memorial has been the subject of several conservation efforts, which have included treatment work done in 2007 and 2019.[5][3]