Army plans to reinstall a controversial Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, nearly three years after it was removed under a congressional mandate. The Army presented its final design plans to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on October 15, outlining how the bronze sculpture will be restored and returned to Section 16 of the cemetery in 2027, as reported by ABC News.
The proposal details the memorial's planned placement, elevation and installation, as the Trump administration moves forward with reversing its removal in December 2023. Newsweek contacted Arlington National Cemetery via email on Sunday for comment. The Army's plans call for the return of the bronze sculpture to its original location in Section 16, where hundreds of Confederate soldiers are buried.
The sculpture will be placed on the memorial's existing granite base, which remained after the bronze elements were dismantled and removed in December 2023. The Army does not plan to rebuild the entire monument from scratch. The design includes conservation and refurbishment work before the sculpture is reinstalled.
The Army also plans to provide interpretive material to give visitors historical context about the memorial and its significance. The plans were presented to the Commission of Fine Arts, which advises the federal government on matters of design and esthetics in Washington D.C. The memorial is expected to return in 2027.
The memorial was dismantled in December 2023 after Congress required the removal of Confederate monuments from military property. The Army said it complied with the congressional mandate and completed the required environmental and historic-preservation processes before removing the bronze elements. The removal followed recommendations from the Naming Commission, an independent body established to review military assets commemorating the Confederacy.
The memorial had stood at Arlington since 1914. Created by Moses Jacob Ezekiel, a sculptor and Confederate veteran, it was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and dedicated during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. The monument depicts a bronze female figure representing the South above a series of reliefs showing scenes of Southern life during the Civil War.
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