The Hiker Monument McKinley Circle (Clinton, Belmont & Madison Avenues) Images

The area today minus the statue from Google Earth

The Hiker is a memorial to the Spanish-American War soldiers.  The bronze figure stands in khaki trousers, canvas leggings, drab shirt, regulation service hat, "at ease," gun in the hollow of his right arm, left arm resting on his hip.  The monument was a gift from the Spanish-American War veterans and unveiled on Memorial Day, 1914.

From Rider's New York City - 1916:

Where Clinton Avenue crosses Belmont Avenue, in a small triangular park on the west side of the Avenue, there is a bronze statue, heroic size, commemorating the Spanish-American War. It is entitled The Hiker, and represents the type of American soldier in that war. (Allen G. Newman, sculptor).

This statue, originally designed to be shown in the rotunda of the NY State Building at the Jamestown Exposition, was unveiled on Memorial Day, 1914, by the United Spanish War Veterans, in memory of the soldiers, sailors and marines who lost their lives in the Spanish War.