Jefferson Davis Memorial (Richmond, Virginia)

The Jefferson Davis Memorial was a memorial for Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865, installed along Richmond, Virginia's Monument Avenue, in the United States. The bronze representation of Jefferson Davis was toppled by rioters during the George Floyd protests in June 2020.[2]

Jefferson Davis Memorial
The monument in 2013
Year1907 (1907)[1]:12
LocationRichmond, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates37°33′31″N 77°28′04″W

Description

Unveiled on June 3, 1907, the east-facing monument sported a 65 foot tall Doric column topped by a bronze figure called Vindicatrix. There were thirteen columns, eleven bronze seals representing the seceding states and two representing states that sent troops for the Confederacy. The bronze statues, Vindacatrix at the top and Jefferson Davis in the center, were designed by Edward Virginius Valentine and the arrangement was planned by William C. Noland.[1]:12 The frieze carries words Jefferson Davis spoke in his farewell address to the U.S. Senate on January 21, 1861.[3]

"This is done not in hostility to others, not to injure any section of the country, not even for our own pecuniary benefit; but from the high and solemn motive of defending and protecting the rights we inherited, and which it is our sacred duty to transmit unshorn to our children."

The plaque on the left end of the monument reads:

The Army of the Confederate States [line] From Sumter to Appomattox four years of unflinching struggle against overwhelming odds [line] Glory ineffable these[,] around their dear land wrapping[,] wrapt [sic] around themselves the purple mantle of death. [new line] Dying, they died not at all, but, from the grave and its shadow, valor invincible lifts them glorified ever on high.

The plaque on the right end of the monument reads:

The Navy of the Confederate States [line] giving new examples of heroism teaching new methods of warfare it carried the flag of the South to the most distant seas [line] If to die nobly be ever the proudest glory of virtue, this of all men has fortune greatly granted to them, for, yearning with deep desire to clothe their country with freedom now at the last they rest full of an ageless fame [both plaques originally all in caps]

History

Following the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, the bronze statue of Davis was torn down by protesters on June 10, 2020.[4] The rest of the monument is pending removal; the statue of Vindicatrix, representing Southern womanhood,[lower-alpha 1] on top of the central column was removed by the City of Richmond on July 8, 2020.[7]

Removal

The memorial was largely dismantled and removed on July 8, 2020.[8]

  • George Washington Custis Lee on horseback, with staff reviewing Confederate Reunion Parade on June 3, 1907, in front of the monument
  • Detail of the statue of Jefferson Davis
  • The memorial as it stands in July, 2020 after the removal of the Davis statue

See also

Notes
  1. A souvenir book printed for the unveiling of the monument in 1907 described the statue as a representation of "the Vindicatrix ... the emblem of Southern womanhood ... the immortal spirit of her land shining unquenched within her eyes, and her hand uplifted in an eternal appeal to the God of justice and truth".[5][6]

References
  1. "National Register Information System – Monument Avenue Historic District (#70000883)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. Robinson, Mark (June 3, 2020). "Northam to take down Lee monument; Stoney wants other Confederate statues removed from Monument Avenue". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  3. "Jefferson Davis' Farewell Address". The Papers of Jefferson Davis | Rice University.
  4. "Jefferson Davis monument torn down by protesters in Richmond". WWBT. June 10, 2020.
  5. "Jefferson Davis on Monument Avenue in Richmond". virginiaplaces.org.
  6. Boomer, Lee. "Monuments to the Lost Cause".
  7. Newsroom, NBC12. "Statue on top of former Jefferson Davis monument being removed". nbc12.com.
  8. "UPDATE: Crews remove parts of Jefferson Davis monument in Richmond | Richmond Local News | richmond.com". richmond.com.
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