Magnificent cast bronze sculpture by Ed Hamilton entitled 'Spirit of Freedom,' measuring approximately 8˝ x 13˝ x 6˝, mounted on a polished black marble base, measuring 10.5˝ in diameter and 2˝ tall, and weighing about 40 lbs. The work portrays three African-American soldiers and a sailor on one side; the opposite side shows a family with small children, with an older boy leaving to join the Union soldiers in the fight for freedom. In this way, the sculpture honors the stories of Black Civil War infantry and sailors, as well as the families that they had to leave behind. Hamilton's signature is incised in one corner of the sculpture, and his business card is affixed to the bottom of the marble base.
An enlarged, nine-foot-tall version Hamilton's 'Spirit of Freedom' is central to the African-American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a base that reads: 'Civil War to Civil Rights and Beyond: This Memorial is dedicated to those who served in the African American units of the Union Army in the Civil War. The 209,145 names inscribed on these walls commemorate those fighters of freedom.' Encircling the granite-paved plaza are walls honoring the names of 209,145 United States Colored Troops who served in the Civil War, whose service helped to end a war and free a people.
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