Located in the city's Logan Circle, the monument honors Galusha Pennypacker, a Pennsylvanian who served as a general officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

[2][5] Work on the design of the memorial was begun by Philadelphia-based sculptor Charles Grafly,[1][6] who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

[2] However, prior to his death, he had designed the general concept for the monument's appearance,[2][6] and work on the art continued under the supervision of sculptor Albert Laessle, who had been a student of Grafly.

[5] The memorial, located near the intersection of 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Circle,[2] was formally dedicated on June 1, 1934, Pennypacker's birthday.

[4] The dedication was then called to order by Isaac R. Pennypacker, a cousin of Galusha's, before an invocation was given by the Reverend Louis Washburn of Christ Church, Philadelphia.

[5][3] The memorial is in the form of a monumental statue depicting Pennypacker as a muscular, bare-chested figure dressed in classical clothing, including a helmet, sandals, and skirt.