Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Crusading for Right
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
1. Crusading for Right Marker (North Face)
(north face)
In memory of the Officers and Men of the
6th Machine Gun Battalion
United States Marines
who gave their lives for their Country
in the World War in 1918.
This tablet was erected by
the Thomas Roberts Reath
Marine Post No. 186, American Legion
November 10,1921
(south face)
In memory of the Officers and Men of the
6th Regiment
United States Marines
who gave their lives for their Country
in the World War in 1918.
This tablet was erected by the Thomas Roberts Reath
Marine Post No. 186, American Legion
November 10,1921
(east face, front)
In memory of the Officers and Men of the
5th Regiment
United States Marines
who gave their lives for their Country
in the World War in 1918.
This tablet was erected by the Thomas Roberts Reath
Marine Post No. 186, American Legion
November 10,1921
Erected
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, World I. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1790.
Location. 38° 31.297′ N, 77° 17.779′ W. Marker is in Quantico, Virginia, in Prince William County. Marker is on Barnett Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1018 Elliot Rd, Quantico VA 22134, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Kelly Hall (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Acquisition of Quantico Marine Reservation (about 600 feet away); Mann Hall (about 600 feet away); Waller Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Molly Marine (approx. 0.3 miles away); H-3-7 Korea 1950 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jordan Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away); Barber Fitness Center (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Quantico.
More about this marker. Statue is more commonly referred to as “Iron Mike.”
Regarding Crusading for Right. Crusading
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
2. Crusading for Right Marker (South Face)
Marine Private Carl J. Millard, after being wounded twice while serving in a front-line unit in France, was temporarily assigned to a military police unit in Paris. Peyre selected him from 200 soldiers to be the model for the statue which is beautifully detailed, right down to the Marine Corps emblem on the helmet.
As the statue was unveiled, Allied Expeditionary Force commander General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing stepped up to the front of the podium, looked down on the statue and saw the Marine Corps emblem on the tin hat, atop the statue there with his Springfield rifle and heavy pack. General Pershing, upset at seeing the distinctive eagle, globe and anchor, did an about face and marched off the podium
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
3. Crusading for Right Marker (East Face)
Peyre refused to take the emblem off the helmet and the Army refused the statue. The Chief Paymaster for U.S. Marines in France, Major D.B. Wills, suggested to the Major General Commandant George Barnett on March 24, 1919, the purchase of Crusading for Right for use as a memorial to the Marines who had given their lives in World War I. The asking price for the statue was 50,000 francs. The statue was purchased through subscriptions from enlisted men and officers of the U.S. Marine Corps.
In March 1920, for unstated reasons, the Commission on Fine Arts rejected the statue as an adornment in the city of Washington and could not advise Congress to set apart a space for it in one of the city’s parks. The statue was subsequently sited in front of the Base Headquarters, Building 1019, at the new Marine Reservation in Quantico, Virginia, some 75 miles from DC and a bit off the tourist trail. Three tablets were erected in the memory of the officers and men of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, 5th Regiment and 6th Regiment, United States Marines, “who gave their lives for their country in the World War in 1918” by the Thomas
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
4. Iron Mike in front of Butler Hall
Also see . . . Entry in the Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Submitted on September 22, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)
Additional commentary.
1. Other Iron Mikes
A replica of this Iron Mike was recently dedicated on the site of the new National Museum of the Marine Corps, which is right outside the main gate of the Quantico Marine Corps Base. There is also a distinctly different Iron Mike statue in Parris Island, SC.
— Submitted September 21, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
2. Butler Hall
Building number 1019 is a quaint 80-year-old, two-story building located just inside the base from the town of Quantico, VA. Small in comparison to the more modern buildings surrounding it, it was once one of the most important structures in the Marine Corps. Butler Hall once served as headquarters for the base’s first commander,
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
5. Iron Mike
— Submitted September 21, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
6. Iron Mike
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
7. Iron Mike
Photo is taken looking Southwest. The Marine Corps Eagle, Globe and Anchor insignia can barely be discerned on the helmet.
Photographed By Kevin W., September 21, 2007
8. “Iron Mike”
Bronze by Charles Raphael Peyre is 8½ feet high on a 4½ foot base.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,993 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 21, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 5. submitted on September 22, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 6, 7, 8. submitted on September 21, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
