Confederate Memorial Monument, War memorial at Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, United States.
The Confederate Memorial Monument is a war memorial on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery with stone figures and carved reliefs. The structure displays crafted details and stands in a publicly accessible area of the Capitol grounds.
The monument was planned as early as November 1865 and dedicated on December 7, 1898, honoring Alabama's more than 122,000 Confederate veterans. Gorda C. Doud designed it and New York sculptor Alexander Doyle executed it; Jefferson Davis laid the cornerstone on April 29, 1886. Funding came from two state grants of $20,000, $10,000 from the Ladies Memorial Association, $6,755 from the Historical and Monumental Association, and $5,000 from politicians.
The monument was funded partly by the Ladies Memorial Association of Alabama, which gave $10,000, and by the Historical and Monumental Association of Alabama, formed in 1865 to support its erection. Critics have repeatedly called for its removal as promoting white supremacy, while preservationists have resisted. In 2007 black paint was sprayed on the granite and limestone.
The memorial is open to visitors during Capitol grounds hours with no special requirements needed for access. Viewing the stone carvings is best done during daylight hours to see the carved details and craftsmanship clearly.
The column was meant to be Alabama limestone from Russellville, but that stone proved faulty; analysis suggests it was eventually built with stone from Bedford, Indiana. The granite figures of the four military branches came from Barnicoat Monuments in Quincy, Massachusetts, after relations between Doyle and his clients soured in the late 1880s.
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