Existing comment:
Logan's Circle; Statue
L'Enfant had sketched this circle in his plans of the city as a triangle. It was originally called Iowa Circle and during the Civil War was the site of a hangman's gallows where spies and deserters were executed.
The circle was renamed in 1930 for Civil War General John Logan, who had lived nearby. Logan had been a US Congressman and had vehemently defended the Fugitive Slave Act before the war. He sided with the Union though and served initially under Ulysses Grant, fighting with distinction at Belmont and Fort Donelson. As a prominent Republican, he was promoted, becomes a Corp commander in 1864 in the Atlanta Campaign. He took over the Army of Tennessee when Maj Gen James McPherson was killed. Sherman dumped Logan who he recognized as a competent officer but foremost a politician who couldn't be trusted.
After the war, Logan served as a Congressman and then a Senator. He tried for the Vice Presidency in 1884. He is credited with the idea of establishing Memorial Day, using the day to "wave the bloody shirt" for political purposes whenever desired.
The statue is now is a largely black section of town. When I was there taking photos, I noticed there were plastic bags, presumably of dog poop, at the base of the statue. Yeech! |