Civil War Centennial Medal (design for obverse)

Joseph E. Renier, Civil War Centennial Medal (design for obverse), 1961, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.18
Copied Joseph E. Renier, Civil War Centennial Medal (design for obverse), 1961, painted plaster, 13 78 in. (35.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.18

Artwork Details

Title
Civil War Centennial Medal (design for obverse)
Date
1961
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 78 in. (35.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted plaster
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Study
  • Animal — bird — eagle
  • History — United States — Civil War
  • Occupation — military — general
  • Portrait male — Grant, Ulysses S.
  • Portrait male — Lee, Robert E.
Object Number
1967.93.18

Artwork Description

Joseph Renier’s medal, commissioned by the Civil War Centennial Commission, memorializes the four years of hostilities between North and South one hundred years before. It depicts Confederate general Robert E. Lee, who surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, also shown here, at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, in 1865. “Let Us Have Peace” became Grant’s presidential campaign slogan in 1868. At Appomattox, Lee released his officers and soldiers, bidding them return home with “a consciousness of duty faithfully performed.”