Confederate Memorial Park, Civil War memorial sculpture at Arlington National Cemetery, United States
The memorial at Arlington National Cemetery originally featured a bronze sculpture with a central female figure representing the South, surrounded by military figures and decorative elements drawn from classical art. The base held carved state shields and ceremonial urns that marked its role as a burial monument.
Congress approved the memorial in 1900 to honor Civil War soldiers reburied at Arlington, with the sculpture completed and dedicated in 1914. The bronze components were removed in December 2023 following federal directives to eliminate Confederate symbols from military grounds.
The monument was designed by Moses Jacob Ezekiel, a sculptor and American Civil War veteran, blending classical artistic traditions with military symbolism from that era. His work reflected how artists of the time tried to honor and remember fallen soldiers through sculpture.
The memorial is located within the cemetery grounds and remains accessible by the regular pathways, though the bronze sculpture itself is no longer present at the site. The stone foundation and basic structure are still visible for visitors to see.
The sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel was himself a Civil War soldier and created this memorial as a veteran, making it a deeply personal work. This connection between the artist and his subject gave the sculpture an emotional depth that sets it apart from many other war monuments.
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