Robert E. Lee Monument (Richmond)

Robert E. Lee Monument

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Monument Ave, Richmond, VA ©Michael Kendra, 2015.


MONUMENT PROFILE
  • Battlefield: City of Richmond, Virginia
  • Location: Lee Circle at the intersection of Monument Avenue and Allen Avenue
  • Map Coordinates: 37° 33' 13.70", -77° 27' 36.30"
  • Added to National Register of Historic Places: January 5, 2007, #0600121
  • Added to Virginia Landmarks Register: September 6, 2006, #127-0181
MONUMENT TEXT
  • FRONT: "LEE"
  • BACK: "LEE"
  • Cornerstone: “This corner-stone of a monument to be erected to the memory of General Robert E. Lee was laid with Masonic ceremonies on the 27th day of October, 1887, by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, A.F. and A. Masons.”
MONUMENT DETAILS
  • Conceived: 1870, Shortly after the death of Robert E. Lee, the Ladies' Lee Monument Association was formed from the Hollywood Cemetery Association to begin fundraising for a new monument project in Richmond.
  • Artist: Sculptor- Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie; Pedestal- Paul Pujol
  • Cost: in 1887 Dollars
    • Bronze Equestrian Sculpture Cost: $18,000.00
    • Base Cost $41,500.00
    • Additional Labor & Fees: $18,000
    • Total Cost Overall: About $77,500.00 (about $2.2 million in 2019 adj. for inflation)
  • Cornerstone Placed: October 27, 1887
  • Dedicated: May 29, 1890
  • Dimensions: Sculpture- H. 21 ft.
    • Base- H. 40 ft.
  • Description:
An equestrian bronze figure of General Lee, bare headed and in uniform, and his horse, mounted on an oval-shaped granite pedestal, which is flanked on both sides by two gray marble columns. Lee sits erect and proud, loosely holding the reigns to the head of his bowing horse. The statue is oriented to the south and was the first monument constructed on Monument Avenue. The base is unfinished from its original design which included allegorical groups on the south and north. The front would have included a figure of Liberty with a confederate soldier at her feet as she leaned on her spear and placed her laurel wreath on his head. The rear group would have depicted the Angel of Peace taking weapons from the Goddess of War.​
  • Remarks:
It was noted in the National Register of Historic Places that "the horse is not a representation of Lee’s famous mount Traveller. The sculptor did not find the size of the actual horse to be in keeping with the overall composition and therefore created an ideal mount with the necessary requirements."​
A time capsule was designed and integrated into the cornerstone of the new monument. The cornerstone was placed during a large public gathering on October 27, 1887.​
To learn about the Cornerstone Placement,
and the Time Capsule and it's contents, see this page:
Within a few years, enough funds were raised and the statue was cast in several pieces, separately, and then the assembled. The statue was displayed in Paris before it was shipped to Richmond, where it arrived by rail on May 4, 1890.​
Newspaper accounts indicate that 10,000 people helped pull four wagons with the pieces of the monument. The completed statue was unveiled on May 29, 1890.​
Today, the monument serves as a traffic circle at the intersection of Monument Avenue, and Allen Avenue. The street, and area around it was called the Lee District, until around 1907.​

DEDICATION CEREMONY

On the day of the dedication, there was a four mile long parade to the site. It was attended by many former Confederates, including James Longstreet, John B. Gordon, Joseph E. Johnston, and Fitzhugh Lee.

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When the time came to reveal the statue, Gen. Joseph E. Johnson had the honor of puling the ropes that released the covers, unveiling the glorious statue beneath. The newspaper claims that artillery roared, and the crowed cheered for a good ten minutes.

The main orator for the day's ceremony was Colonel Archer Anderson, a Virginian, and a veteran of several major battles in the eastern and western theaters of the Civil War. His father, Joseph R. Anderson, was well known as the operator of the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond.

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Excerpt from Archer Anderson's Dedication of the Monument to Gen. Robert E. Lee

"Let this monument, then, teach to generations yet unborn these lessons of his life! Let it stand, not as a record of civil strife, but as a perpetual protest against whatever is low and sordid in our public and private objects! Let it stand as a memorial of personal honor that never brooked a stain, of knightly valor without thought of self, of far-reaching military genius unsoiled by ambition, of heroic constancy from which no cloud of misfortune could ever hide the path of duty! Let it stand for reproof and censure, if our people shall ever sink below the standards of their fathers! Let it stand for patriotic hope and cheer, if a day of national gloom and disaster shall ever dawn upon our country! Let it stand as the embodiment of a brave and virtuous people's ideal leader! Let it stand as a great public act of thanksgiving and praise, for that it pleased Almighty God to bestow upon these Southern States a man so formed to reflect His attributes of power, majesty, and goodness!"

Read Anderson's Full Oration Here:

During the dedication, the crowd made a giant Rebel flag of red, white, and blue colors, and a mock battle was held. The Rebel yell rang out along the avenue, recalling the glory of the army that once was.

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The "Crowd Made" Confederate Battle Flag, at the Lee Monument Dedication, May 29, 1890.


ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
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Lee Monument with covered statue next to base. 1890 Photo

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Covered Lee Equestrian Statue Mounted on top of base. 1890 Photo

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Unveiling of the Equestrian Statue of Robert E. Lee
May 29, 1890. Richmond, Virginia.


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Early 1890s Photo, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

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Photo Hal Jasperson, May 2009.

 
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News About the Time Capsule And the Planned Ceremonies
Page 1 of the Daily Times Newspaper of Richmond from October 26, 1887


News froms the Parade & Grand Ceremony to Place the Cornerstone
Page 1 of the Daily Times Newspaper of Richmond from October 28, 1887


News from the Day of the Dedication Ceremony
Page 1 of The Times Newspaper of Richmond from May 29, 1890


News from the Day After the Unveiling & Dedication
Page 1 of The Times Newspaper of Richmond from May 30, 1890
 

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Thanks Mike for this monument profile and history. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to many more.

It's the little idiosyncracies that always get me ... like the 'crowd made' Confederate battle flag. And you even have an image of that!

Great stuff. Keep 'em coming.
 
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