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Best lesser-known war memorials photo
(Bill Webster - The Washington Post)

Best lesser-known war memorials

Stephanie Merry | Washington Post Staff Writer  |  Updated 05/28/2010

On Memorial Day, pay tribute away from the crowds at these lesser-known monuments, like the African American Civil War Memorial, left.

 
 
 
 
 

African American Civil War Museum

Washington, DC

Among the U Street corridor's dinner spots and dance halls stands this 10-foot-tall bronze reminder of the more than 200,000 black Americans who fought in the Civil War. The "Spirit of Freedom" statue, unveiled in 1998, depicts four men preparing for combat; the surrounding Wall of Honor lists the slaves and freemen who served.

 
 
 
 
 

Memorial Peace Cross

Bladensburg, MD

This 40-foot-tall cross has become a major Bladensburg landmark. The marble and cement structure was erected in 1925 in honor of the Prince George's residents who died in World War I. Each part of the monument's four-sided base bears the names of fallen soldiers and one of these words: endurance, courage, valor, devotion.

 
 
 
 
 

National Japanese American Memorial

Washington, DC

In the shadow of the Capitol sits this lovely World War II monument dedicated to the Japanese Americans sent to internment camps and those who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the most decorated units in military history. The triangular area shelters an arresting sculpture of two cranes wrapped in barbed wire, but the most striking aspect of the memorial may be the large tubular bell.

 
 
 
 
 

Nuns of the Battlefield Memorial

Washington, DC

This structure, also known as the Civil War Nurses Memorial, pays tribute to the nuns who comforted the wounded during the Civil War. A bas-relief sculpture of a dozen women, reflecting the nurses' various religious orders, is flanked by two figures, one representing peace and one representing patriotism.

 
 
 
 
 

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington, VA

In a quiet corner of Arlington National Cemetery, the USS Maine Memorial is an imposing reminder of the 1898 explosion that sank the battleship off the coast of Cuba and sparked the Spanish-American War. The memorial, which includes a salvaged mast, is surrounded by the graves of 229 men who died in the incident, only 62 of whom were identified.

 
 
 
 
 

D.C. War Memorial

Washington, DC

Though it stands on the Mall, this simple memorial is remarkably peaceful, thanks to its secluded, tree-sheltered location. The temple-like domed pavilion was dedicated in 1931 to the 499 Washington residents who died in the Great War.

 

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