Boston is the state Capitol and this grand building sites atop Beacon Hill
symbolism abounds here
Joseph Hooker was a Massachusetts born Union general who was famous for his aggression on the battlefield (nicknamed "Fighting Joe")but unfortunately he presided over some notable Union defeats, including Second Bull Run and Chancellorsville
he also was chiefly responsible for the carnage at Antietam, where he fought Stonewall Jackson to a standoff, but at great cost
a popular myth has it that the slang term for prostitute comes from his name, but this clearly predated him ...he did like to party & his camp was described by one contemporary as a "bar room and brothel"
(the State Capitol stands a short walk from Scollay Square, demolished to build the Government Center and a project much despised by folks from west of Beantown, much to its citizen's loss)
interestingly it is very difficult to see his face from the street, as his mount's head obscures the view