The statue is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

After the war, Farragut fought pirates in the West Indies on the ship USS Ferret, his first command of a United States Navy vessel.

He continued to have great success in defeating Confederate forces, most notably at the Battle of Mobile Bay, where he uttered his famous phrase, "Damn the torpedoes!

Sculptors were only given sixty days to submit models of the statue, but when the congressional act approving the monument passed on April 16, 1872, the resolution was amended, and the deadline for design submissions was extended by nine months.

Several naval officers praised Stone's model, calling it "true to life" and "unsurpassed by similar works."

Ream's model received praise from several high-profile individuals, most notably President Ulysses S. Grant, who called it "first rate".

A commission to select the winning model was created and consisted of Virginia, Sherman, and Secretary of the Navy George M. Robeson.

The base did not arrive until April 20, five days before the dedication, resulting in Ream's husband, Lieutenant Richard L. Hoxie, working around the clock with a crew of workers to make sure the site was ready.

Nearly 4,000 invited guests, including members of the Grand Army of the Republic and fellow sailors who served alongside Farragut, listened to John Philip Sousa conduct the Marine Band as they filled three temporary stands that were built on three sides of the statue.

[4][8] An opening prayer was led by Reverend Arthur Brooks followed by the statue being unveiled by two members of Farragut's Hartford crew, Quartermaster C. B. Knowles and Boatswain James Wiley.

[4][7] When the statue was unveiled, the Marine Band began playing a march and a seventeen gun salute was fired from nearby Lafayette Square.

Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt then introduced the president, who formally accepted the statue on behalf of the American people and gave a brief address.

Speeches were then given by former Postmaster General Horace Maynard and Senator Daniel W. Voorhees followed by the Marine Band playing "Hail to the Chief" and another seventeen gun salute.

Two sidewalks bisect the park from the northwest to southeast corners, running along either side of the statue, on axis with Connecticut Avenue.

Inside the base is a box containing documents related to Farragut's career, a history of the sculpture, a copy of the Army and Navy Register, and a bronze model of the propeller used to cast the statue and mortars.