User:Cronincp/Virginia Monument

The Virginia Monument, also commonly referred to as "The State of Virginia Monument", is a Battle of Gettysburg memorial to the commonwealth's "Sons at Gettysburg" (Battlefield) with a bronze statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller and a "bronze group of figures representing the Artillery, Infantry, and Cavalry of the Confederate Army". The equestrian statue is atop a granite pedestal and the group of six standing figures is on a sculptured bronze base with the figures facing the Field of Pickett's Charge and the equestrian statue of Union General George G. Meade on Cemetery Ridge.The granite pedestal without either sculpture was dedicated on June 30 for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion. On June 8, 1917, Virginia governor Henry C. Stuart presented the completed memorial to the Assis

Description and Location
The Virginia Monument resides on West Confederate Avenue on the Southwest side of Gettysburg National Park. The monument is viewed three different parts; a bronze General Robert E. Lee perched on the back his horse, Traveller, a granite shaft with inscriptions, and a bronze Confederate soldiers at the base of the monument. The monument in its entirety stands at 41 feet tall, the section of Robert E. Lee and the horse standing at 14 feet tall, the granite pedestal stands at 16 feet tall. Below Lee, who is memorialized as looking out for the distant Union lines, are 7 Confederate soldiers. At the base of the pedestal, the 7 men are meant to symbolize various backgrounds of individuals who left their occupations to join the Confederate army; each occupation resembling "a professional man, a mechanic, an artist, a boy, a business man, a farmer, and a youth." "The shattered cannon, broken wheel, discarded knapsack, swab and exploded shells which are scattered at the feet of the seven men would indicate that the place had been the scene of some desperate engagement, while the attitude of each of the character shows defensive, rather than offensive action." Gettysburg National Military Park is a 3,500 acre historic park that was administered by the National Park Service to commemorate the battle that took place there and create a national cemetery, named the Gettysburg National Cemetery. The cemetary is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg three days after the end of the battle by President Abraham Lincoln in November 1863.

"The Virginia Monument was the first Southern state monument placed on the Gettysburg battlefield. Dedicated in 1917, it is located near the spot where Robert E. Lee watched the repulse of Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863."

Memorial Approval Process
In a letter from Thomas Smith, Secretary of Virginia Gettysburg Commission (VGC) to Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson dated December 7, 1909, the original plans for the construction of the Virginia Monument was created. The Gettysburg Commission was entrusted with the erection of a Monument in memorial for the troops of Virginia that participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Commission instructed Thomas Smith to report to Henry L. Stimson that the location site of the Memorial would be in the Confederate line of battle known as "Spangler Woods"

In many back and forth correspondents from Thomas Smith to John P. Nicolson, the Chairman of GNPC, the discussion of the inscription on the memorial was heavily debated. The inscription was heavily debated due to the inclusion of the personification of the state of Virginia, or the lack of the inclusion. Thomas Smith proposed the inscription that stated "VIRGINIA TO HER SOLDIERS AT GETTYSBURG. THEY FOUGHT FOR THE FAITH OF THEIR FATHERS" on September 13th, 1910. After mulitple meetings with the entirety of teh GNPC, Thomas Smith and John P. Nicolson agreed to change the inscription to "VIRGINIA TO HER SONS AT GETTYSBURG" alongside the substitution of the Confederate flag to that of the Virginia State flag.

The Memorial was commissioned on March 9, 1908 and cost $50,000 at the time (in 2023 equating to about $850,000). The monument, with the exception of the sculptures of Robert E. Lee and the 7 Confederate soldiers, was fully installed in 1913, and was dedicated at the 50th anniversary of the Gettysburg battle (1913). The statue was completed with the two sculptures in 1917, and was unveiled by Miss Virginia Carter, General E. Lee's niece, in tandem with Henry C. Stuart, the governor of Virginia at a ceremony hosted by the Gettysburg National Military Park.



Frederick William Sievers
The contract for the design of the Virginia Memorial was awarded to Frederick William Sievers on behalf of the VanArming Granite Co. on February 3, 1910. Sievers was not known for Equestrian Statue work, yet Sievers projected design was exhibited in Richmond, Virginia and thoroughly impressed John P. Nicolson, Chairman GNPC.

The motivation for Frederick William Sievers to create the Virginia Monument was to produce a work that memorialized all of those who dedicated their lives to the Confederate army. Sievers found that the majority of monuments erected for prominent figures in the American Civil War did not accurately reflect the dedication of many individuals, from different affiliations. Rather, Sievers aimed to shift the focus of only memorializing military generals and lieutenants to a more inclusive approach of representing the entire military body.

Sievers has produced many Confederate and Civil War monuments that hav been placed at many prominent American landmarks after the success of the Virginia Monument.

Virginia Memorial Preservation
In September 2022, the National Park Service worked to preserve the Virginia Memorial. The preservation project included the replacement of an old patina with a newer patina that resembled a close relation to the finish of the original construction of the Memorial.

Any further plans for the monument are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service as of 2023.

Recent Controversy
Since the Summer 2020, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that concurred, the understandings of how racism has played a part in United States culture has been a large focus of mainstream media. During the summer of 2020, and the months following, many protesters sought for the removal of many Confederate monuments, as for some, they serve as a visual reminder of a period of enslavement and those who defended slavery.

Robert E. Lee has been seen as a symbolic hero of the South, as he was a general for the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. The American Civil War was inherently fought on the issues of slavery, therefore many individuals in the modern era have taken issue to memorializing and celebrating those who wanted, and defended, slavery. Therefore, many have sought to remove many of the monuments that include Confederate leaders to limit the exposure of the racist undertones the monument creates.

Yet, many individuals in the modern era worry about "erasing history", and hope to not remove many of the Confederate memorials as it represents a crucial part of American history. Robert E. Lee was a central figure in the American Civil War, especially as he took control of the highly influential Army of Northern Virginia. Where the location of the Gettysburg Military National Park serves the purpose of preserving the history that took place there, many hope to preserve the monument in order to demonstrate both sides of the U.S. Civil War.

Specifically to the Virginia Monument, many individuals in the modern era appreciate the fact that the memorial includes the representation of the lives lost at the battle of Gettysburg, rather than solely focused on General Robert E. Lee. Also, the inclusion of both Union and Confederate Monuments on the National Park Service tour aims to give a holistic, and non-partisan, view of the grounds and its importance to the Battle of Gettysburg.