A multi-talented man, Pike (1809-1891) at various times was a lawyer, journalist, soldier and poet. Although he opposed secession, he served as a brigadier in the Confederate Army during the Civil War -- making him the only Confederate officer to be honored with a statue in Washington DC. After the war, he moved to Washington and practiced law. He was a Freemason and wrtoe a popular book on their rituals. The statue here was raised by a branch of the Freemasons. (NOTE: This Pike should not be confused with Zebulon Pike, for whom Pike's Peak in Colorado was named.)