The Jefferson Davis Monument (Monument Ave., Richmond, VA)

[The dedication of the Jefferson Davis Monument; Richmond, VA; June 3, 1907]

 At 2 o'clock in the afternoon on June 3, 1907, before a crowd of thousands of admirers, the Jefferson Davis Monument, on Monument Avenue in Richmond, VA, was unveiled and dedicated to honor the Confederacy's only President on what would have been his 99th birthday.

The event was widely covered in periodical publications of the day, including The Confederate Veteran magazine, which described the scene as "all that could have been imagined. Such a sea of human beings was hardly ever seen in the South... it was a gala day [as] rockets were being sent high above, from which emerged many beautiful figures, conspicuous among which were balloons with magnificent Confederate flags floating, which fell in different parts of the assembly, and a fine band of music and hundreds of girls were singing about the area of the monument. Such a joyous throng of so great magnitude must have rarely ever been witnessed on the earth."

The crowd was extremely large, estimated as being "not less than 125,000" by Lt.Gen. Stephen D. Lee, Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans, and that was just the crowd surrounding the Davis monument! Over 1,200 old Confederate veterans & sons are said to have marched down the flag-decorated streets with over 200,000 parade watchers cheering them on.

[Lt.Gen. Stephen D. Lee & others below the soon to be unveiled monument]

One old soldier, bent and weary with age after the parade, told a newspaper reporter, "I was a boy again while the march lasted, but, now that it's over, I'm an old broken man ready to die." He, like so many others, marched like boys again with strength & affection for the Southern Cause, despite the toll that age had taken since the flags were furled at Appomattox.

The speakers stand was filled with dignitaries such as Gen S.D. Lee, Rev J. William Jones, Hon. Claude Swanson - Governor of Virginia, Hon. Carlton McCarthy - Mayor of Richmond, and Maj.Gen. Samuel D. French - the oldest surviving major-general from the Confederate service. Seated on the stage along with these great men was perhaps the most notable gathering of Confederate women ever assembled at an unveiling, including Ms. Mary Custis Lee (daughter of Gen. Robert E. Lee), Mrs. Mary Anna Jackson (widow of "Stonewall" Jackson), and Mrs. Flora Stuart (widow of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart), and others equally worthy of note.

The lady who was given the most attention on this day, however, and rightfully so, was Mrs. Margaret Davis Hayes, the daughter of the late Southern President. It was she, along with two of her children, who had the honored duty of actually making the great unveiling of the Davis monument. When the signal was given, the President's heirs withdrew the veil that covered the statue of the late chieftain! Instantly the guns of the Howitzers boomed out in a Presidential salute, the bands struck up in the playing of 'Dixie,' and deafening cheers & applause erupted from the crowd! For several minutes the air was filled with thunder as fireworks were sent off, celebratory bombs exploded, children sang, and the multitudes roared in excitement as balloons carrying Confederate flags floated overhead.

[The Jefferson Davis Monument; Richmond, VA; July 12, 2016]

After the monument's unveiling, Governor Swanson gave an address to the gathered throngs. I will not reprint it here in full, but in part let me share the following portion of his remarks:

"Sirs, the brave and noble deeds of the Confederate soldiers, extending from the drummer-boy to the great commander - the God-like Lee, constitute for the South her proudest and most precious heritage. We will teach our children's children to cherish the glory, the unsullied honor and the dauntless courage of the Confederate soldier. We purpose that in every county and city of the South some day shall stand a granite or marble column to bear testimony to his heroism and glory." 

[The Jefferson Davis Monument; Richmond, VA; July 12, 2016]

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans