It is sometimes easy to forget in this turbulent world of Civil War memory that these men died for the country that all of us call home. [I took this photograph earlier today in Concord, MA.]
Civil War Monuments
A new fiberglass statue to Stonewall Jackson has recently been added to Lexington, Virginia’s commemorative landscape. The sculpture by local artist, Mark Cline, is situated on private property just north of Lexington on Rt. 11. Cline is best known for his fiberglass sculptures of fantasy creatures and dinosaurs that adorn parks across the country. Among [...]
It is one of the most unusual memorials on any Civil War commemorative landscape North or South. I vividly recall my own loss for words during my first trip to Mount Auburn Cemetery in 2011. It is a stop at the top of my list for next year’s Civil War Memory class and thanks to [...]
Over at the Atlantic I share some thoughts about the recent controversy in Memphis surrounding the renaming of Forrest Park. I hope the essay at least provides a bit of historical context to this issue. Once again, thanks to Court Carney for making my job much easier. Tennessee’s state legislature finally passed a measure making [...]
Update: I didn’t see this one coming, but it is nice to see the SCV and NAACP working together in opposition to the Klan’s planned rally in Memphis next month. Millar shows that he should have been included in the city’s panel to re-name Forrest Park. Pastor Norman is quite impressive in his own right. [...]
Today it is being reported that a committee has been organized to determine the new name of Forrest Park and two other parks named in honor of the Confederacy in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the committee include: Council members Bill Boyd and Harold Collins, Co-chairmen Reverend Keith Norman, Sr. Pastor of First Baptist Broad, current [...]
There are a number of plans on the table that would change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Any plan that involves removing the Forrest monument would also have to include the removal of his remains which are buried below. That presents all kinds of challenges. As I’ve said before, I [...]
From the video description: For thirty two days, voices of veterans of the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars animated a bronze commemorative statue of Abraham Lincoln that has stood silently in Union Square Park since 1870. The memories and feelings of ordinary Americans spoke through Lincoln as part of an outdoor public art installation by [...]