Reconciling History, Baltimore's Confederate Monuments
Lee Jackson Monument
This monument was a gift from prominent Baltimore
banker J. Henry Fergusun, who left funds in his will
for the City of Baltimore to create a monument to
his childhood heroes, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson. Ferguson died in 1928, but due to
the Great Depression and World War II, the monument
was not dedicated until 1948.
Sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser, this rare double
equestrian monument depicts Lee and Jackson
departing for the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Virginia.
The two men became subjects of the "Lost Cause"
movement which portrayed them as Christian soldiers
and even as men who opposed slavery. Today current
scholarship refutes these claims. These larger-than-life
representations of Lee and Jackson helped perpetuate
the "Lost Cause" ideology, which advocated for white
supremacy and portrayed slavery as benign and justified
secession.
In the same period that this monument was installed,
Baltimore City continued to enforce racial segregation
housing ordinances and deed covenants, continued
to support segregation policies in public spaces and
programs, and unequally funded African American
school budgets, infrastructure improvements, and
public programs.
In 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appointed
a Special Commission to Review Baltimore's Public
Confederate Monuments to provide recommendations
based on informed decisions and citizen input on how
to address Baltimore's monuments that honor the
Confederacy and the Lost Cause movement.
This commission concluded that this monument was
part of a movement to perpetuate the beliefs of white
supremacy, falsify history, and support segregation and
racial intimidation.
Text on statue, from Wikipedia
SO GREAT IS MY CONFIDENCE IN/ GENERAL LEE THAT I AM WILLING TO/ FOLLOW HIM BLINDFOLDED / STRAIGHT AS THE NEEDLE TO THE POLE/ JACKSON ADVANCED TO THE EXECUTION/ OF MY PURPOSE
(West steps:) THE PARTING OF GENERAL LEE AND/ STONEWALL JACKSON ON THE EVE/ OF CHANCELLORSVILLE
(East steps:) GIFT OF J. HENRY FERGUSON OF MARYLAND.
(North steps:) THEY WERE GREAT GENERALS AND/ CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS AND WAGED/ WAR LIKE GENTLEMEN.
Submitted by @jbouie