| Confederate Memorial | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Confederate_Monument_-_S_face_tight_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011.jpg) The Confederate Memorial in 2011 | |
| For soldiers and sailors of the Confederate States of America who died in the American Civil War | |
| Unveiled | June 4, 1914 |
| Removed | December 20, 2023 (removal of statue) |
| Location | 38°52′34″N 77°04′38″W / 38.876117°N 77.077277°W near |
| Designed by | Moses Jacob Ezekiel |
The Confederate Memorial was a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States, that commemorated members of the armed forces of the Confederate States of America who died during the American Civil War. Authorized in March 1906, former Confederate soldier and sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in November 1910 to design the memorial. It was unveiled by President Woodrow Wilson on June 4, 1914, the 106th anniversary of the birth of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America.
The memorial grounds changed slightly due to burials and alterations between 1914 and 2023. Some major changes to the memorial were proposed over the years, but none had been implemented until December 2023. Since the memorial's unveiling, most United States presidents have sent a funeral wreath to be laid at the memorial every Memorial Day. Some presidents have declined to do so, and the tradition is controversial.
In 2022, the Naming Commission recommended that the Confederate Memorial be removed. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin agreed to implement the suggestion, and Arlington National Cemetery made plans for removing and relocating the Confederate Memorial by the start of 2024 at the latest. The monument was removed on December 20, 2023 and is planned to be relocated to New Market Battlefield State Historical Park. The memorial's granite base remained to avoid disturbing nearby graves.