Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument
Stonewall Jackson left, and Robert E. Lee right
Artist	Laura Gardin Fraser
Year	1948 2017: removed
Medium	Bronze
Location	Baltimore, Maryland
Owner	City of Baltimore

The Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument was a large statue in Baltimore, Maryland. It showed two Confederate generals, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, riding horses. The monument was located in Wyman Park Dell, in an area that looked like a place where they met during the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.

The statue was taken down on August 16, 2017, by order of the Baltimore City Council. The base of the monument still remains. The area around where the statue once stood was renamed Harriet Tubman Grove in March 2018. This new name honors Harriet Tubman, a famous abolitionist who helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

What Made This Monument Special?

The Jackson and Lee Monument was unique because it was the first statue in the United States to show two people on horseback together. A talented artist named Laura Gardin Fraser created the statue. She was the only woman chosen for this important project among five men. A well-known architect, John Russell Pope, designed the base of the monument.

How the Monument Came to Be

The money for the statue was provided by J. Henry Ferguson, who owned the Colonial Trust Company. He left $100,000 for the monument before he passed away in 1928. The statue was officially dedicated in 1948. Important leaders like Governor William Preston Lane Jr. and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. spoke at the ceremony.

In a booklet celebrating the dedication, J. Henry Ferguson explained his reasons. He said that Lee and Jackson were his heroes. He believed they were great generals and good soldiers. He felt their example should be shared with young people in Maryland. The monument stood in Wyman Park Dell from its dedication until it was removed by the city government.

Why the Monument Was Removed

The empty pedestal, two days after the statue's removal.

After a sad event in 2015, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who was the Mayor of Baltimore, created a group to look at the city's four Confederate monuments. In January 2016, this group decided that the Jackson and Lee Monument should be removed. They also decided to remove the Roger B. Taney Sculpture.

On August 14, 2017, the Baltimore City Council voted to take down these two monuments. They also voted to remove the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the Confederate Women's Monument. The Jackson and Lee Statue was then removed on August 16, 2017. The base of the statue was left behind.

After the statue was removed, artists placed a temporary sculpture of a pregnant African-American woman on the empty pedestal. This temporary artwork was later damaged. The pedestal itself was also marked with messages.

Words on the Base

The base of the sculpture had these words carved into it:

See also

• List of Confederate monuments and memorials
• List of public art in Baltimore
• Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
• Roger B. Taney Monument (Baltimore)