Major Footman Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans Celebrate Confederate Memorial Day at Buckingham Cemetery, April 25, 2026

 

Lee County Civil War heritage groups and enthusiasts gathered at the old Buckingham Cemetery in East Lee County to honor area residents who fought for the Confederacy. Many of those interred at the old cemetery were pioneers of Lee County who had also fought for Southern independence. Among the Confederate States, Florida sent the highest percent of its male citizens off to fight in the Civil War. Many participated along with Capt. Francis Hendry in the "Cow Cavalry" that sent herds of beef out of SW Florida to feed Southern armies in Tennessee and Virginia. Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, was the only Southern capital that was not seized and burned by Union troops during the war.  

In keeping with the still existing official Florida state holiday to commemorate this period of Florida history, officers and members of the Major Footman SCV Camp held their annual program to honor these fallen Confederate soldiers. Over 30 local residents gathered at the cemetery to observe a beautiful morning tribute to these veterans and met at the "Smoking Pit BBQ" in North Fort Myers for lunch afterwards. 

Persons interested in joining either the Major Footman SCV Camp or the Lee County Civil War Roundtable should contact the editor of this Blog for details.

Photos of the event follow:

Flagbearers and Color-guards in the Civil War

A review of the human cost of carrying an American or Confederate flag during our nation's most costly war.  Among the many inspirational stories of our ancestors, read about the war of attrition between the 24th Michigan and the 26th North Carolina at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. Both regiments suffered the heaviest number of casualties in either army during their encounter. The Union regiment lost 9 Color-bearers and the Confederate regiment lost 14 such men that day. The survivors of the 26th went on to lose another 8 color-bearers in Picket's Charge two days later--a total of 22 men who carried their colors into battle over three days. This doesn't include the loss of several dozen more men who comprised the color guard for the Regiment. To download a PDF version of this program, click HERE.  

A few of the 55 slides for the program are shown below.  We hope that education about the important role our flag has played in the preservation of freedom in our nation and around the world will result in fewer instances of it being burned and destroyed in future 'protests'. This version discusses both important examples of heroism on the part of both Union and Confederate flag-bearers and color guards. A SUVCW PowerPoint that concentrates on Union regiments and soldiers is available HERE. 

"The Battle of Fort Myers" by Rodney E. Dillon, Jr.

 Recent arrivals to Lee County may be unaware that the southernmost battle of the Civil War took place here in Fort Myers on February 20, 1865.  Rodney Dillon's "The Battle of Fort Myers" is a good account of the battle. More concise overviews were published in the Fort Myers News-Press several times. All these articles may be accessed online at the links below.  

Dillon, Rodney E. Jr. (1983) "The Battle of Fort Myers," Tampa Bay History: Vol. 5 : Iss. 2 , Article 4.   Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tampabayhistory/vol5/iss2/4

 

“Fort Myers in the Civil War: More than a Brief Battle” by Randy Kambic (Fort Myers News-Press: January 17, 2015).   Accessed HERE on 2/4/2023.  

 

“The Civil War battle of Fort Myers, 150 years later” by Amy Bennett Williams  (Fort Myers News-Press: 2/20/2015).   Accessed HERE on February 4, 2023. 

 

“The USCT 2^nd REGIMENT MEMORIAL” City of Fort Myers Parks and Recreation webpage. Accessed HERE on February 4, 2023.  

Those wanting to download a PDF of the Dillon article may also access it HERE. If anyone can provide us with copies of the many decades old lecture on the battle by Ernie Hall or who has a copy of all the Union and Confederate Officers who once were stationed here in Fort Myers during the Seminole Wars that was compiled by local historian Walter Burke, PLEASE contact Jack Bovee. 

Guest Op Ed Sent to News-Press, January 2023

 The following guest op-ed piece was sent to the News-Press and The Banner papers in SW Florida at the time of the birthdays of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and Robert E. Lee. To our knowledge, it was not printed in the paper.  “Why Robert E. Lee REMAINS a Great American”

*            *            *             *

Each January Americans are reminded of the achievements of two great Americans--Dr. Martin L. King and Robert E. Lee. They have much in common and are celebrated by national and state holidays. Devout Christians, both are widely admired, faced immense hatred yet served as role models for others, and attained international fame. Both are also accused of personal failings. Lee is accused of treason and supporting slavery. King often drank to excess and engaged in sleazy extramarital affairs. 

    One problem with this is that the charges against Lee are false. He resigned his U.S. army commission before accepting a Confederate one. He fought to defend his home. Lee freed his wife’s slaves before Grant freed those in his own family. When Lee was indicted for treason in 1865, Grant threatened to resign. Lee prevented a guerilla war. He did more to unite the nation than anyone. He always opposed slavery and, when pushed, endorsed Black men voting after the war. Why his memorial, dedicated to the citizens of Ft. Myers and Lee County, was removed in the middle of the night by Ft. Myers remains a mystery to many. 

     It’s time to restore the local memorial to this great American.

 

[words 200]

 

Jack Bovee

Fort Myers, FL 
The writer has been a social studies educator, founder of Rho Kappa--the National Social Studies Honor Society--past president of the Florida Council for the Social Studies, and a former Elementary School Principal of the Year in Lee County, Florida. He may be reached at: jsbovee@aol.com.

Our Letter to the Commissioners in Manatee County . . .

  We've decided to applaud attempts by a neighboring county to restore a Civil War monument for the educational and historical role it can play in reconciling opposing views. We've copied Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson on this correspondence for the obvious hope that Lee County may soon follow the example of our neighbor to the north.

To download a PDF version of the file, click HERE. 

Save Southern Heritage Condemns Jacksonville Mayor

The battle to retain some memorials to the Confederate fallen continues in Jacksonville, Florida despite a state law protecting such monuments. View the press conference below for more details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMTD3szjxeQ.  

New Powerpoint Program on Robert E. Lee now available!

 In the hope of providing local elected officials, Lee County residents, media personalities, and SW Florida teachers and students of history an accurate biography on the life of General Robert E. Lee, we're posting the following Powerpoint on this website. Contained within the notes of each slide and in the accompanying script for the program are many factual details, reference sources, maps, and other details--all of which give a background of Lee's life and the controversy surrounding the Memorial to him in Lee County. 

Download the Powerpoint program     HERE

Download a PDF of the Program.        HERE

Download the script of the Program     HERE

Our Letter to the Lee County Commission on Lee Memorial

 We recently sent to Lee County Commission Chairperson Cecil Pendergrass our request that the County work with the City of Ft Myers to relocate the memorial to Robert E. Lee to the grounds of the Lee County Courthouse--the original planned destination for the monument.  Click on the link "HERE" to read / download our letter and the reasons we feel Lee is as important today as he was in the past.

Local Confederates Continue to Celebrate Lee's Birthday!

Recent actions by the City of Fort Myers to remove the last vestiges of the Robert E. Lee memorial have not deterred local members of the Major William Footman Camp, S.C.V. from continuing their annual tribute to Robert E. Lee. The City chose--in the middle of the night--to remove the plinth upon with the bust of Lee sat for decades. In the process, it also disturbed the contents of a time capsule which lay underneath the monument--the contents of which were partially donated by Footman Camp ancestors. 

Below are the remarks of the current Commander of the Camp at this year's ceremony.
_____

Greetings Members of the Major William Footman Camp And Friends of the SCV.

Yesterday not only marked the 215th anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Lee but also exactly 56 years to the day that the Lee Monument was dedicated to the citizens of Lee county.

I would like to thank all who attended the memorial service in person and those who attended in spirit.

The city leaders of Fort Myers and the county commissioners have breached their authority--the authority that was granted to them to “do the people’s work”! I do not believe that removing a monument dedicated to the people, as a sign of unity, should in any way be considered “doing the people’s work”.

The removal of this monument is nothing short of a hate crime. A hate crime fostered by the prejudices of city council, mayor Anderson and the NAACP.

The city council and mayor were not elected to office so they could further their personal prejudices. We will not stand for this! I want to assure you that we are fighting back. We have an attorney. It is said “you can’t fight city hall,” well we’re going to try, but like all things it costs money. The Footman Camp has set up a legal defense fund. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Adjutant Shell or myself.

Our next camp meeting will be held on January 22, 2022 at our regular gathering spot. At that time I will give an update on what happened, where we stand legally, and where we go from here. If you have questions or concerns please attend the meeting.

Yours in service,

SCV Commander Ross Barnett

William M. Footman Camp #1950

Noted Black Economist Walter Williams on the South's Right to Secede

 When Walter Williams, the noted chair of the George Mason University's Department of Economics, passed away in December, 2020 the nation lost a keen mind and one of its most celebrated intellectuals. Professor Williams was an outspoken critic of political correctness and argued throughout his lengthy career that adoption of its precepts went against common sense. A conservative who published many books on economics, he was often interviewed by journalists for his 'take' on current events. His comments during one such interview on whether the South had the right to secede from the Union illustrate why he was so often in the news. See Youtube video: "Walter Williams on the Confederate Flag" (4:54)

Viewers may want to advance to 2 minutes into the interview for his thoughts on this and whether the Civil War was fought primarily to end slavery. Readers will enjoy skimming the over 200 comments others have posted on the professor's thoughts.

Call to Save Historic Battlefield Properties!

 

For those interested in Gettysburg, this short video describes some important areas of fighting on July 3rd which are NOT yet part of the official battlefield part. We'd encourage your watching the film both to get a better appreciation of the many facets of this battle, but also for the need to send a small contribution to the goal of preserving these lands for future generations. 

Defending Lee Against Ty Seidule and Others

 A detailed rebuttal of one liberal retired Pennsylvania university president's glowing review of former West Point history chair Ty Seidule's anti-Lee book can be accessed HERE. 

Another CWRT in Lee County Writes to the Lee Co Commissioners on the Need to Keep the Lee Memorial!

The Lee County CWRT Supports the Rob't. E. Lee Memorial in Lee County. To print a copy or to view the WORD doc, click on the image itself! 

Galena Illinois CWRT Supports "Keeping Rob't. E. Lee in Lee"!

 The Galina, Illinois CWRT--the hometown of U.S. Grant--has weighed in on the Robert E. Lee Memorial in Lee County. To print or upload the WORD document for better viewing purposes, click on the image itself. Our thanks to our Northern counterparts for taking a stand against the "cancel culture" of the Left!

Our Letter of Concern to W&L University President

Click on the image to bring up a pdf version of Brian's letter.

 

PRESS RELEASE: April 14, 2021

Re:  In Defense of Robert E. Lee 

Today, our nation struggles to recover from $2 billion dollars in destruction and countless lives lost over this past summer—much of it surrounding the destruction of monuments dedicated to important figures in our national past.  It is no surprise that with the decline in knowledge about our nation’s history that citizens have pressured the Ft. Myers City Council to remove the Memorial dedicated to the memory of the man for whom our county is named. Gone are the days when mayors and commissioners would pose for pictures at the base of the Robert E. Lee Memorial. Nor do many citizens recall that in recent years our County Commission has both officially recognized Confederate Memorial Day and passed a resolution to protect historical monuments within our county.  Unfortunately, with the march of today’s ‘cancel culture’ all that matters is to follow the dictates of an uninformed mob. Due to the blatantly erroneous statements that were made before the Ft. Myers City Council regarding the character of Robert E. Lee, we believe it’s necessary to set the record straight. 

It’s been falsely stated that Lee was a cruel slave owner who whipped his slaves and sold apart family members. The truth is Lee freed not only the slaves he inherited from his wife, but also all those from the Custis estate who were not owned by him.  He always stood in opposition to the institution. True, as executor he rented slaves from the Custis estate, but he did so in order to raise the funds to pay for their emancipation. He accomplished that goal. Those of his slaves who wished to remove to Liberia even had their transport paid by Lee.  

Nor was Lee a ‘traitor.’ He had already dedicated much of his life to the defense of our nation and risked his life in its war against Mexico. Lee always saw himself as following the steps of his Revolutionary War father, “Light-Horse Henry” Lee, and George Washington. He opposed secession but was forced by history to choose. Thank goodness none of us is faced with his choice—to take up arms against one’s one family and neighbors and to invade one’s own state or to hope for peace and vow to protect your loved ones from foreign invasion. Through Lee’s simple word and deed, a murderous guerrilla war following Appomattox was averted. He turned down opportunities to make a fortune off his name as he saw his own properties seized by the federal government, leaving him in dire poverty in 1865. Thanks to an offer from a bankrupt Washington College, he found a respectable home and comfort for his wife by assuming the presidency of the little school. For the next five years as thousands of his officers, former soldiers and southern citizens sought out his guidance, he always advised them that God had decided the contest and their duty now was to be loyal citizens of the United States. Without a doubt, he single-handedly did more than anyone to heal the wounds from a war that cost 750,000 dead and another hundred thousand maimed and disabled. For this he won the undying devotion of our nation and countless Presidents and world leaders. Hardly acts of a traitor!

Lee’s life is a lesson to us in troubled times. For that alone he should not be driven in disgrace from our public square. Drawing inspiration from his ordeal, he continues to inspire generations of Americans to enlist in an army that prides itself on duty, sacrifice, loyalty, and perseverance. We’ve forgotten that in 1964 President Johnson invoked the memory of Lee to successfully pass that year’s momentous Civil Rights Act into law. We’ve forgotten his memory was invoked again during the national turmoil over the Vietnam War. When his “lost” loyalty oath was rediscovered in the National Archives in 1970 there were over 400,000 draft dodgers who had fled to Canada or were in hiding out within America. Congress quickly rushed through a bill restoring Lee’s citizenship. Signed into law by Gerald Ford on July 22, 1975 it offered hope for our future. Shortly afterward, President Carter used this example to pardon hundreds of thousands of Vietnam draft dodgers. Once again Lee helped heal our wounds.

Today should be no different. Many of our members had ancestors who fought in the American Civil War. We respect the views of many Black citizens in Lee County who are offended by the local Robert E. Lee memorial.  We ask them to judge the entire man’s life, however, and not just the four years he chose to defend his family and state from what he considered foreign invasion. We ask that they remember that through his acts and deeds he opposed slavery and humanly freed his own slaves. We feel just as closely touched by Lee’s deeds as they—actions on his part freed their ancestors while they maimed and killed some of ours. 

Lee’s Christian heritage taught him to forgive his enemies and to forget the divisions of the past. He never drank, smoked, swore or was unkind to any person. He was always a faithful husband and loving father. He was a renowned educator—both at West Point and later at Washington College. We’d like to call upon the citizens of Lee County to remember Lee’s character and his entire life’s lesson—one that all our school children should be educated to.  Rather than remove this man from our collective memory, we need to strengthen our remembrance of him. 

With the same hope that Lee had for our nation’s future, we urge the collective elective officials of Ft Myers and Lee County to make the right decision for of our community.

(WORDS 949)

Sincerely,

Brian Bailey, President, Southwest Florida Civil War Roundtable
Naples, FL   34117

‘White Lies Matter’ Group Claims Responsibility, Demands Ransom for Stolen Confederate Monument

Kirsten Fiscus and Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser, April 5, 2021

An “anti racist action group” is claiming responsibility and holding for ransom a stone chair, dedicated to Jefferson Davis, stolen from Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma last month. According to an email from the group, “White Lies Matter,” the chair was taken from the cemetery about a month ago. {snip}

Instead of cash, however, the group has asked the United Daughters of the Confederacy to hang a banner outside their headquarters in Virginia for 24 hours, beginning April 9 at 1 p.m., with a quote from Assata Shakur. April 9 is the 156th anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s surrender in Appomattox, Virginia. “The rulers of this country have always considered their property more important than our lives,” says the banner that the group mailed to the UDC.

Shakur was a former member of the Black Liberation Army, convicted of murder in 1977, escaped prison in 1979 and remains free despite being wanted by the FBI after she was granted political asylum in Cuba.

In the notice the group sent Monday morning, they wrote about the tension between “our heritage of white supremacy and our underlying belief in ‘liberty and justice for all.'”

“America’s original sin is that people were kidnapped from their homes and forced to build one of the most prosperous nations in the world, without being allowed to participate in it,” the letter says. {snip}

{snip} There is a $5,000 reward leading to information about the disappearance of the chair, described as being about 3-feet-tall and weighing several hundred pounds.

{snip} Before being stolen, the chair was displayed in Confederate Circle which covers about an acre in Selma’s Old Live Oak Cemetery. {snip}

The chair is not the first memorial to be taken from Confederate Circle. After a bust of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest was vandalized and covered with trash, it was moved from city property to Confederate Circle. It was from there that Forrest’s bronze bust was stolen never to be recovered. Friends of Forrest, a local group, had the bust replaced.

In 2011 the Selma City Council sold the property surrounding Confederate Circle to the United Daughters of the Confederacy. {snip} {snip}

Original Article

Lincoln & Davis: Triumphs and Tragedies

Rick Tome, member of the Erie County (PA) Civil War Roundtable, recently delivered this on-line lecture to members of that group and several other historical and educational organizations in that area. We pose the link here should you have the time to view the almost 90 minute program.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1447120758985909&ref=external 

SWFLCWRT Letter on State Holiday Sent to our Legislative Delegation

March is the time when the Florida Legislature begins their 60-day regular session and this year's cancel culture has apparently already made an impact. Several bills (HB 6007 & SB 1302) would eliminate traditional legal Florida state-sanctioned holidays honoring Florida's Confederate heritage. The birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, along with Confederate Memorial Day, would be eliminated. Under the measure, the state would retain "Farmer's Day," "Shrove Tuesday," "Pascua Florida Day," and even the controversial "Columbus Day"--among many others--as legal state holidays.  Another bill (SB 1116) --"Removing Confederate Memorializations" would not only remove the legal holidays mentioned above but would also remove any protections in law against the defiling or mutilating of any Confederate flag or emblem. Protections against doing this to the Florida State Flag and emblem (seal?) would remain in statute. 
     While working to eliminate any reference to Florida's Confederate statehood, there are already three bills that would seek to extend the current state law that all schools teach about African-American History and the Holocaust. Proposed SB 1962 would add the requirement that all schools teach about "present day inequities" afflicting African-Americans. It is common practice today for any racial inequity to be attributed to white racism and not cultural behavior, educational attainment or sectional disparity. For example, as Thomas Sowell has pointed out decades ago, educators with doctorates have annual salaries less than other doctoral degrees. Most African-American PhDs are in education, therefore, the average salary level of these citizens holding doctorates is less than the average salary of whites holding doctorates--most of whom are not in education. Recent years have shown that 'disparate impact' remedies are almost always for primarily racial reasons. The bill specifies that the instructional materials to be developed for teachers to implement this measure shall be developed by the taxpayer-funded Florida American-American History Taskforce or other institutions that promote the African-American experience. (Would this allow such discredited curriculum as that developed by Black Lives Matter, the NY Times 1619 Project, or other racially-motivated groups to be thrust upon our children?)
     Another measure, HB 105, would require now all charter schools and even the state's private schools to annually certify that all children are taught in the prescribed content regarding African-American History and the Holocaust. By the way, these comprise only 2 of 20 such topics that all Florida PUBLIC schools were to teach under Florida's Required Instruction Statute 1003.42.  Should this measure pass, the many parents who have enrolled their children in charter and private schools to escape what they consider liberal indoctrination and racially-biased teaching would no longer be safe from such potentially harmful content. 

    Another bill (SR 1074) would seek to define "white nationalism" as "being pro-white" and would link that term to white supremacist beliefs that hold whites to be superior to all other races. It argues that a surge in hate crimes within the state and nation has resulted primarily from white nationalist groups and cites FBI statistics as evidence. No breakdown of hate crimes by racial groups or percentages of such crimes being committed by that group's proportional representation in our overall population is given. Other data revealing that a larger proportion of hate crimes are committed AGAINST whites as opposed to being CAUSED by whites is absent in the measure. As a result, the proposal is not only inaccurate but divisive.  It would--along with other racially-motivated educational materials such as the NY Times 1619 Project, the Black Lives Matter Teaching Modules, and the many university level 'white-privilege' courses which are based upon Critical Race Theory--racially demonize the white race as "oppressive" toward all others. Still other measures would create scholarship funds ('reparations') for the descendants of the Ocoee Riot (SB 164) and would deny accreditation and principal's salaries to Charter Schools and selected private schools that fail to implement all provisions of the amended African-American curriculum and teacher-training proposals (SB 772 line 144).  

    Related to one piece of legislation pertaining to Florida's legal holidays, SWFLCWRT President Brian Bailey has sent copies of the following letter to members of the Southwest Florida legislative delegation to voice our opposition to the measure. Individual members who wish to echo similar comments may use the contact list for our legislators under the "Legislative Issues / Action" link in the column to the right.  Phone contact information, email links and the names of each representative's legislative assistants are given. To download a PDF copy of the letter, click HERE. 

 

Saving History: Relocation a Statue (Dalton, GA)

 The following original press release was dated February 6, 2021, from Dalton, Georgia. It offers details about a solution found for moving and preserving a Civil War statue in a way agreeable to many in that local community.

On July 8, 2020, following 30 days of several marches and demonstrations, a town hall meeting in which a number of persons spoke to the Council of Dalton about the removal of the Joseph E. Johnston Statue from public property, a Facebook petition to move to statue and another Facebook petition to not move the statue, the City of Dalton notified the local Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (hereinafter “UDC”) that the UDC needed to make arrangements to move the statue as any permissive easement to allow its continued placement on the public right of way of the intersection of Crawford and Hamilton Streets were no longer permitted.  The City of Dalton gave the UDC a reasonable time period within which to arrange to move the statue.

The UDC expressed last summer that it was ready and willing to move the statue provided that a suitable location could be found AND provided that funds sufficient to safely handle the move could be secured as the UDC did not have any money to be able to do so.  The City of Dalton expressed that it would not pay for any move or use any tax dollars.  Members of the community at large including some of the original marchers volunteered to raise funds to pay for the move.

The Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia which took no position on the subject of whether to move the statue or not to move it, offered to serve as a conduit, or bank, to facilitate the anonymous donations required for the move.

Several possible locations were identified as potential places for the relocation of the statue:

1. Whitfield County graciously offered to permit the statue to be relocated to the new Rocky Face Ridge Park to be opened soon in Crow Valley. This was deemed to not be a suitable location for several reasons:
   1. The issue of maintaining the statue on public (i.e. government) lands still remained;
   2. The statue would move several miles out of town and outside of the downtown Dalton district where it was originally intended to be placed; and
   3. The new park, while it will have some civil war features and assets, will be a multi-use park including recreation, mountain biking, hiking, conservation and environmental uses in addition to historic uses.

2. The Confederate Cemetery at West Hill Cemetery. This was ruled out quickly for several reasons:
   1. There is insufficient room to place the statue without disrupting some graves or other monuments;
   2. That is a place of rest for those buried there and should be kept as such for them. There are 421 Confederate and 4 Federal soldiers buried there;
   3. There is a relationship between the cemetery and the City of Dalton which could arguably be considered public use under the meaning of applicable laws; and
   4. To the extent that any State or other laws applied, this statue was not originally designed to be placed in a cemetery or museum and thus should not be placed in one.
3. The Huff House owned by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Inc. (hereinafter “Historical Society”)

This became the logical and best solution in which the UDC found themselves and the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society graciously voted and agreed to host the statue and give a lease to the UDC to relocate the statue there under certain conditions which had to be met:

• First, the Historical Society would not claim or acquire any ownership to or responsibility for maintenance of the statue, same continuing to be the responsibility of the UDC which has maintained the statue for over 100 years;
• The Historical Society would not pay for the move or for the installment of a new pad in which to place the statue;
• A fence surrounding the statue and part of the back yard of the Huff House site would need to be included in the project;
• 24/7 lighting would need to be installed on the statue;
• Security cameras covering the statue would need to be acquired and installed.
• The Historical Society would not insure the statue, same being the responsibility of the UDC.

The UDC was given an initial estimated budget based upon the pledged donations of $20,000 for the entirety of the project. Bids as high as $55,000 and $35,000 solely for the movement of the statue exclusive of all of the other costs outlined above came in from non-local companies.  After several months of lining up bids and proposals, and using only local companies and persons, bids and estimates have come in at between $30,000-35,000 for ALL of the work identified in the six parts to paragraph 3 above.

Donors willing to support this project next worked on raising the additional funding which was completed early this year.

The City of Dalton has provided the past several months to allow time for this project and all of the people involved to work together, and the City has assisted with the logistical support to ensure the safe relocation of the statue, but no tax dollars have to our knowledge been spent or allocated by the City.

One point that needs to be made very clear to the Citizens of Dalton and Whitfield County: No one involved in this process has intimated or attempted to tear down or destroy the statue or the history of it.  That group simply wanted it moved from a public property and were willing to pay for its relocation.

The historic Huff House was in fact the headquarters of General Joseph E. Johnston during the Confederate Army of Tennessee’s winter encampment in Dalton for about six months from December 1863 to May 1864.  It is a logical place for the statue where the history of the man, the statue and the house may all be interpreted and visited.

The location of the placement of the statue is significant and was chosen for several reasons.  It will be placed on Hawthorne Street facing north which is symbolic of him facing north toward his former enemy.  By placing the statue in this location, the Huff House may be viewed and enjoyed from the Selvidge Street, or west side, without the statue being in the viewshed of the house such that the house may be studied and enjoyed separately from the statue.  Conversely, the statue may also be viewed, studied and enjoyed separately from the house and opportunities for photos of either historic site can be had separately.  It allows each of the two sites to continue to have their own separate identities and prominence, while still being available to view and enjoy in one location. Additionally, the new location will better insure its safekeeping with additional security measures of a fence, lighting, and security cameras.

Thus, on the morning of February 6, 2021, the process of moving the statue was completed. This date and time was chosen out of consideration for the many businesses, restaurants, churches and shopkeepers downtown so as not disrupt their business and to cause as little disruption as possible. For this reason, a week-day or Sunday was not chosen.

We provide this press release so that everyone can see both the circumstances and the process for how this project came together.  In many communities across our country, unfortunately, similar circumstances have led to violence, bloodshed, vandalism and destruction of people, property, businesses, and statues.  In Dalton, however, the various parties have worked together to find and to carry out a good solution. We hope that the new location of the statue will lead to greater interest to and support of the Huff House and our new partners in the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Inc. as they strive to preserve all of our area’s rich history.

******
Submitted on behalf of my client for immediate release.

Robert D. Jenkins, Sr.
Attorney,
Dalton, GA