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

The bronze sculptures of Stephenson and allegorical figures are displayed on a triangular granite shaft surmounting a concrete base.

Stephenson found a lack of enthusiasm for the GAR among Springfield veterans, so he chose nearby Decatur to establish Post No.

After the GAR began to attract new members, Stephenson was relegated to adjutant general and spent most of his time attending to routine duties.

[3] Following Stephenson's death, the GAR grew from a charitable organization for Union widows and wounded veterans to the country's most powerful single-issue political group in the late 19th century.

To honor the group's founder, the GAR, at the behest of General Charles Partridge and the National Tribune, raised $35,000 from its members to erect a memorial for Stephenson.

[3] The architectural firm Rankin, Kellogg & Crane was chosen to design the central shaft of the memorial, and the reliefs were founded by Roman Bronze Works.

William Gray & Sons performed contracting duties for the memorial, and P. R. Pullman and Company was chosen as the contractor for the foundation.

[6] A resolution passed by the Senate in April 1902 provided the memorial to be erected on any of the city's public lands other than the Library of Congress and Capitol grounds.

The commission consisted of Secretary of War Jacob M. Dickinson, Senator George P. Wetmore, Representative Samuel W. McCall, General Louis Wagner, and Thomas S.

[3] Following the invocation, GAR commander-in-chief Colonel Henry M. Nevius gave an impassioned speech about the sacrifices made by Union forces during the Civil War.

He said by the shedding of their blood, "the flag of the United States has been raised from the dust and mire, smoke begrimed, powder stained and bullet ridden and thrown to the breeze to float forever over our broad land of the free.

[9] The memorial and surrounding plaza are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Interior Department.

On the northeast side of the memorial, the relief depicts a woman cloaked in a long robe and cape protecting a small child standing to her left.