Rome Confederate Monument

Rome Confederate Monument
A color photograph of a stone monument featuring a soldier atop a plinth
The monument in 2009, prior to the statue's removal in 2017
Interactive map of Rome Confederate Monument
LocationMyrtle Hill Cemetery, Rome, Georgia, United States
Coordinates34°15′7″N 85°10′42″W / 34.25194°N 85.17833°W / 34.25194; -85.17833
BuilderMcNeel Marble Works (statue)
TypeConfederate monument
MaterialGeorgia marble (statue)
Stone (pedestal)
Length12 feet (3.7 m)
Width12 feet (3.7 m)
Height17 feet 4 inches (5.28 m)
Completion date1886 or 1887
Dedicated dateApril 26, 1887
April 26, 1909 (rededication)
Dedicated toSoldiers of the Confederate States Army from Floyd County, Georgia

The Rome Confederate Monument, also known as the Floyd County Soldiers Monument,[1] is a partially dismantled monument in the Myrtle Hill Cemetery of Rome, Georgia, United States. It was erected by a local Ladies' Memorial Association and was dedicated in 1887 in honor of Confederate States Army soldiers from Floyd County, Georgia. It originally consisted of an urn atop a pedestal, but in 1909, the urn was replaced by a statue of a soldier and the monument was rededicated. In 2017, the statue was damaged in an act of vandalism, prompting the city to remove it from the monument.

Design

The front of the pedestal, bearing the seal of the Confederate States

The monument is located at the peak of the hill that Myrtle Hill Cemetery is located upon.[2] In its initial configuration, the monument consisted of an urn atop a pedestal.[3] However, the urn was later replaced by a statue of a soldier, which is one of the most common designs for Confederate monuments in Georgia.[3] The statue depicts a person wearing the uniform of a Confederate States Army soldier, with an ammunition case and bayonet attached to his left hip.[4] A bedroll is also slung over his left shoulder and attached to his right hip.[4] He is holding a gun, with both of his hands gripping the barrel and the stock resting on his right foot.[4] The statue faced westwards.[2]

The pedestal is made of stone, while the statue is made of Georgia marble.[4] The total height of the monument, including the statue and pedestal, was roughly 17 feet 4 inches (5.28 meters), while the base covers a square area with sides measuring 12 ft (3.7 m).[4] The entire structure is surrounded by a fence made of cast iron.[4]

The pedestal bears several inscriptions. On the sides is the following:[4][5]

THIS MONUMENT / IS THE TESTIMONY OF THE PRESENT / TO THE FUTURE THAT THESE WERE / THEY WHO KEPT THE FAITH AS IT WAS / GIVEN THEM BY THEIR FATHERS. / BE IT KNOWN BY THIS TOKEN / THAT THESE MEN WERE TRUE TO THE / TRADITIONS OF THEIR LINEAGE. / BOLD GENEROUS AND FREE / FIRM IN CONVICTION OF THE RIGHT / READY AT THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL / STEADFAST IN THEIR DUTY / FAITHFUL EVEN IN DESPAIR: / AND ILLUSTRATED / IN THE UNFLINCHING HEROISM / OF THEIR DEATHS / THE FREE BORN COURAGE OF THEIR LIVES.

HOW WELL / THEY SERVED THEIR FAITH / THEIR PEOPLE KNOW, / A THOUSAND BATTLE FIELDS ATTEST; / DUNGEON AND HOSPITAL BEAR WITNESS / TO THEIR SONS THEY LEFT / BUT HONOR AND THEIR COUNTRY. / LET THIS STONE FOREVER WARN / THOSE WHO KEPT THESE VALLEYS / THAT ONLY THEIR SIRES ARE DEAD: / THE PRINCIPLES FOR WHICH THEY / FOUGHT CAN NEVER DIE.

The front of the base has the following: ERECTED BY THE WOMEN OF ROME / TO THE MEMORY OF / THE SOLDIERS OF FLOYD COUNTY, GEORGIA / WHO DIED IN DEFENCE OF / THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA / 1861-1865.[4] Meanwhile, the back bears the following: THEY HAVE CROSSED THE RIVER / AND SLEEP BENEATH THE SHADE.[4] Additionally, the front and back bear the seal of the Confederate States and an emblem of the Daughters of the Confederate States of America.[4]

History

Creation and dedications

Efforts to erect the monument began in either 1868 or 1869 and were led by the local Ladies' Memorial Association,[4] given in some sources as the "Women of Rome".[6][7] In addition to creating the monument, the association had also been responsible for overseeing the cemetery's section for Civil War soldiers.[8] The association began fundraising for the monument's construction, with Georgia Governor Rufus Bullock being one of the first contributors to the project.[4] Fundraising efforts lasted several years, in part because the association lost funds in the Panic of 1873.[4] The monument, in its original design featuring the urn, was installed in the cemetery in either 1886 or 1887.[4] In total, the monument cost $1,000 (equivalent to $35,800 in 2025), while the cast iron fence surrounding the monument, manufactured by the Noble & McCullough Foundry, cost $112 ($4,000 in 2025).[4] The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, April 26, 1887.[1][4][5]

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ladies' Memorial Association continued fundraising with the goal of replacing the monument's urn with a statue of a soldier.[4] On January 4, 1887, the city government of Rome donated $100 ($3,600 in 2025) for this goal.[4] The urn was replaced around 1909 and the monument was rededicated on April 26, 1909.[4][note 1] The statue cost at least $1,000 ($35,800 in 2025) and was created by the McNeel Marble Works, with C. M. Pennington serving as the architect overseeing its placement.[4]

Later history and vandalism

The monument in 2023, following the statue's removal

In 1975, the Rome Area Heritage Foundation, a local nonprofit historic preservation organization,[9] installed a plaque to the base of the monument with information about the cemetery.[4] In 1993, the monument was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project.[4]

In December 2017, the monument's statue was vandalized, with significant damage to the head and arms.[6][8] Additionally, the hands and the rifle had been removed.[7] Following the incident, Stan Rogers, the cemetery's director, estimated that the damages amounted to about $200,000 ($262,700 in 2025).[10][11] The statue was removed from the pedestal on December 21.[11] Following the vandalism, a subsidiary of the Rome Area Heritage Foundation initiated a fundraising program to finance repairs.[9] In early 2018, the city government had received several proposals for the statue's repair and reinstallation, with estimates of $42,000 and $57,000 ($53,800 and $73,100 in 2025).[12] However, insurance for the monument paid out only $25,000 ($32,100 in 2025).[13] In 2021, the Rome News-Tribune reported that the statue was still in storage.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In an article in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, a year of 1910 is given for the urn replacement and monument rededication.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Widener, Ralph W. Jr. (1982). Confederate Monuments: Enduring Symbols of the South and the War Between the States. Washington, D.C.: Andromeda Associates. p. 72. LCCN 1982090564. OCLC 8697924.
  2. 1 2 Battey, George Magruder Jr. (1922). A History of Rome and Floyd County. Vol. I. Atlanta: The Webb and Vary Company. pp. 621–622. OCLC 5692694865.
  3. 1 2 3 "Rome Confederate Monument". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Photograph by David N. Wiggins. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "The Confederate Soldier, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Emerson, B. A. C. (1911). Historic Southern Monuments: Representative Memorials of the Heroic Dead of the Southern Confederacy. New York City: Neale Publishing Company. pp. 111–115. OCLC 1307934.
  6. 1 2 "Confederate statue in Georgia cemetery vandalized". Associated Press. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Nestel, M. L. (December 26, 2017). "Confederate monument in Georgia cemetery seriously damaged, police say". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Walker, Doug (December 22, 2017). "Century old Confederate monument desecrated". Rome News-Tribune. ISSN 1060-4049. OCLC 21967923. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Fundraiser for Damaged Rome Monument". WZQZ. December 27, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Confederate statue in Myrtle Hill Cemetery seriously defaced". Rome News-Tribune. December 22, 2017. ISSN 1060-4049. OCLC 21967923. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Burns, Steve (December 23, 2017). "Confederate monument vandalized in North Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Proposals for reconstruction Confederate statue range from $42 K to $57K". Rome News-Tribune. May 9, 2018 [April 16, 2018]. ISSN 1060-4049. OCLC 21967923. Archived from the original on August 8, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Wagner, Diane (January 29, 2021). "Statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Forrest removed from Myrtle Hill Cemetery, put in storage for eventual placement". Rome News-Tribune. ISSN 1060-4049. OCLC 21967923. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2026.

Further reading

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