Macon Monument Defense Fund
The “Macon Monuments Defense Fund” is proud and delighted to announce the start of our “Macon Monuments Matter” campaign complete with yard, highway, and magnetic car door signs with possibly more items to come. As most of you know we filed a lawsuit against the Macon Bibb government and the commissioners who voted to move our “Confederate Monuments” in violation of Ga. Code 50-3-1 and that legal battle continues to wage. In a two prong strategy, we have had the legal part going for months and now we start with the ground campaign. If you would like a yard sign we are asking for a $10.00 donation if possible and if you know of a location for a large 4x4 foot highway sign contact me for permission for us to install one with the owner’s permission.
Don’t forget, Mayor Reichert, Commissioners Lucas, Watkins, Bivins, Tillman and Schlesinger voted to reallocate your Splost tax money and remove $200,000 from storm drainage and now $300,000 from bridge and road repairs which could endanger your life and property just for the political purpose of moving the Confederate Monuments! Stand up and show your Southern Pride today by supporting our cause by putting up a “Macon Monuments Matter” sign in your yard and tell a friend about us. Thank you so much for caring!
If you would like to donate directly or want a sign, please call (478) [phone redacted].
.
With Pride in their Patriotism, with Love for their Memory
Macon's Confederate Monument History Synopsis
In the annals of history, then and now of so many great prosperous nations that this world we call Earth has seen come and go, it is no secret they built many great monuments to their heroes who have fallen for their country. However it is rare indeed that so many with so little have raised money on their own to build two such monuments for their fallen heroes as our ancestors in Middle Georgia did for their love ones who died fighting for the Confederate States of America and their beloved state of Georgia. In a period called “Reconstruction” after the famous “War Between the States”; veterans; some whole and many handicapped with missing arms and legs, widows, orphans and civilians with little to eat after the aggressor had burned the crops in the fields and stolen all the animals and cattle just a few years prior, somehow managed to raise money to erect two statues in Macon Georgia; one for our fallen Confederate soldiers and one dedicated to the women of the South, so many made widows and with missing sons and daughters. This truly miraculous event of the fund raising, carving, construction and erection of these two monuments in Macon Georgia by its citizens; (not the government) was so noted as to lead the Georgia legislature and Governor to protect these and other similar monuments in our state by the passage of Ga. Code 50-3-1 in order to protect them legally in perpetuity.
As the city of Macon/Bibb Georgia has voted to move downtown's two “War Between The States” monuments to a different location in violation of Ga. Code 50-3-1; here's a look at the history of the statues.
The most well-known is the Confederate monument with a valiant marble Confederate soldier on top. Today it sits at the intersection of Cotton Avenue and Second Street, but it was originally placed a few blocks away. In April of 1878, the cornerstone was laid in a huge ceremony that featured a parade and a speech by Governor Alfred Colquitt. Three soldiers who had lost their arms in the war served as assistant grand marshals. A metal box was sealed in the cornerstone that contained a letter written by former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis for the occasion, which was read for the ceremony. Several U.S., Confederate, and foreign coins were also placed inside. The soldier was set facing south.
In October of 1879 the statue was set and the governor returned for an unveiling ceremony. An estimated 35,000 to 45,000 people attended. That was about double Macon's population at the time.
In April of 1956 it was moved to it's current location due to “real road construction”, not “invented construction for political purposes”. The contents of the cornerstone box were displayed and copied before being replaced. This time the soldier was set facing north. The full monument is about 37 feet tall. The soldier is about 10.5 feet tall. The base is “Stone Mountain” granite and the statue and its pedestal are “Carrara” marble.
The faded inscription reads: "With pride in their Patriotism, with love for their Memory, this silent stone is raised in perpetual witness of our Gratitude. Erected A.D. 1878 by the Ladies Memorial Association of Macon in memory of the men of Bibb County and all who gave their lives in the South to establish the independence of Confederate States."
Macon's other notable “War Between The States” monument is dedicated to the "Women Of The South." In June of 1911; the statue was ready for the ceremony set to tie in with the birthday of the late Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The corner stone was set in 1905 but it was six years later when local women's groups finished collecting the money for the project. At the unveiling speakers talked about the women who cared for soldiers and children during the Civil War, and kept the farms going, and supported the war effort with their work behind the lines. It was originally set "near the auditorium", but Macon's iconic City Auditorium that still stands today wasn't built until 1925. In 1935 it was moved to it's current location on Poplar Street near the intersection with First Street.
Sadly, as of this date the fate of these two beloved Confederate Monuments dedicated to the memory of the men, women and families of Bibb County and all who gave their lives in the South for the defense of our CSA is still locked in legal battles. To you our gallant knights of old, we do take pride in your Patriotism and our love for your Memory shall never fade as long as even one of us is left alive.
Our Beloved Macon Confederate Monuments
Macon has much of which her citizens can be justly proud, but there is nothing that she has done, or that will be done which will reflect more honor upon her people than our magnificent Confederate monuments. These monuments must always be an object of great interest, awakening in the minds of all the most gratifying recollections, filling our hearts to overflowing with unutterable sentiments of patriotism; with love for our fellow man and obedience to the Supreme Architect of the universe.
Long may they stand and be preserved from the destroyer’s hand and may those who have contributed in the past, may contribute now or aid in their future existence; live long to enjoy with us all the blessings of a well spent life. May their splendid summit stand for centuries, being kissed by the first and last rays of the rising and setting sun, to stimulate to bold deeds those who strive to live and work in our fair city.
Are not the martyrs of such a cause entitled to their monuments? Yes is the answer on the lips of all with even the most basic instincts of civility and culture. Will friendly hands withhold the commemorating wreath? No my friends, - a thousand times, no, will be the response of every unselfish patriot. Or a generous foe grudgingly consent that it may rise and stand before the eyes of the generations to come? Perhaps the day will come when men who once disagreed with us will shake our hand, clasp us fraternally and admit that our hearts were right, and if we erred it was because we loved the rights of the State too sensitively and too well. The men whose memories we cherish by the noble monuments you this day come before to contemplate, laid down their lives as they firmly believed in defense of that interpretation of freedom under our constitution which was a tradition with us. All they hoped to accomplish by the war thrust upon them was the preservation of such rights as the constitution guaranteed. We this day, and for all time, will honor them most by upholding in all its strength and purity such a government as that constitution has established.
We will honor our dead, we will gather annually around their graves with a tribute of tears and flowers; we will cherish their memories and defend their names against the assaults of false accusers; we will raise monuments to transmit their fame to ages to come. This we will do in love for them and for the cause which perished with them.
Let the monument’s tributes rise with time. Let them remain a perpetual reminder of those who in the path of duty took from death’s hand the garlands of victory. Let them stand until deeds of valor and heroism are no longer sung or recorded on the historic page. Let their voiceless marble lips tell the story of those who died for principle, truth and right to coming generations while the ceaseless seasons bloom and fade.
And when time, wearied with the march of years, shall expire in the arms of eternity, may these structures whose foundation stones were laid in times past but not forgotten, be the last thing on which the eyes of the patriot may rest when the veil is removed which shuts from view the band of those who, loyal and true, have “crossed over the river” and with all of our Southern heroes are “resting under the
shade of the trees.”
*Words borrowed from several first dedication speeches in 1879 regarding the Macon Confederate Soldier Monument with words inserted or composed by Mr. Smith and put together for this composition in 2021.
Don’t forget, Mayor Reichert, Commissioners Lucas, Watkins, Bivins, Tillman and Schlesinger voted to reallocate your Splost tax money and remove $200,000 from storm drainage and now $300,000 from bridge and road repairs which could endanger your life and property just for the political purpose of moving the Confederate Monuments! Stand up and show your Southern Pride today by supporting our cause by putting up a “Macon Monuments Matter” sign in your yard and tell a friend about us. Thank you so much for caring!If you would like to donate directly or want a sign, please call (478) [phone redacted].
.
With Pride in their Patriotism, with Love for their Memory
Macon's Confederate Monument History Synopsis
In the annals of history, then and now of so many great prosperous nations that this world we call Earth has seen come and go, it is no secret they built many great monuments to their heroes who have fallen for their country. However it is rare indeed that so many with so little have raised money on their own to build two such monuments for their fallen heroes as our ancestors in Middle Georgia did for their love ones who died fighting for the Confederate States of America and their beloved state of Georgia. In a period called “Reconstruction” after the famous “War Between the States”; veterans; some whole and many handicapped with missing arms and legs, widows, orphans and civilians with little to eat after the aggressor had burned the crops in the fields and stolen all the animals and cattle just a few years prior, somehow managed to raise money to erect two statues in Macon Georgia; one for our fallen Confederate soldiers and one dedicated to the women of the South, so many made widows and with missing sons and daughters. This truly miraculous event of the fund raising, carving, construction and erection of these two monuments in Macon Georgia by its citizens; (not the government) was so noted as to lead the Georgia legislature and Governor to protect these and other similar monuments in our state by the passage of Ga. Code 50-3-1 in order to protect them legally in perpetuity.
As the city of Macon/Bibb Georgia has voted to move downtown's two “War Between The States” monuments to a different location in violation of Ga. Code 50-3-1; here's a look at the history of the statues.
The most well-known is the Confederate monument with a valiant marble Confederate soldier on top. Today it sits at the intersection of Cotton Avenue and Second Street, but it was originally placed a few blocks away. In April of 1878, the cornerstone was laid in a huge ceremony that featured a parade and a speech by Governor Alfred Colquitt. Three soldiers who had lost their arms in the war served as assistant grand marshals. A metal box was sealed in the cornerstone that contained a letter written by former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis for the occasion, which was read for the ceremony. Several U.S., Confederate, and foreign coins were also placed inside. The soldier was set facing south.
In October of 1879 the statue was set and the governor returned for an unveiling ceremony. An estimated 35,000 to 45,000 people attended. That was about double Macon's population at the time.
In April of 1956 it was moved to it's current location due to “real road construction”, not “invented construction for political purposes”. The contents of the cornerstone box were displayed and copied before being replaced. This time the soldier was set facing north. The full monument is about 37 feet tall. The soldier is about 10.5 feet tall. The base is “Stone Mountain” granite and the statue and its pedestal are “Carrara” marble.
The faded inscription reads: "With pride in their Patriotism, with love for their Memory, this silent stone is raised in perpetual witness of our Gratitude. Erected A.D. 1878 by the Ladies Memorial Association of Macon in memory of the men of Bibb County and all who gave their lives in the South to establish the independence of Confederate States."
Macon's other notable “War Between The States” monument is dedicated to the "Women Of The South." In June of 1911; the statue was ready for the ceremony set to tie in with the birthday of the late Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The corner stone was set in 1905 but it was six years later when local women's groups finished collecting the money for the project. At the unveiling speakers talked about the women who cared for soldiers and children during the Civil War, and kept the farms going, and supported the war effort with their work behind the lines. It was originally set "near the auditorium", but Macon's iconic City Auditorium that still stands today wasn't built until 1925. In 1935 it was moved to it's current location on Poplar Street near the intersection with First Street.
Sadly, as of this date the fate of these two beloved Confederate Monuments dedicated to the memory of the men, women and families of Bibb County and all who gave their lives in the South for the defense of our CSA is still locked in legal battles. To you our gallant knights of old, we do take pride in your Patriotism and our love for your Memory shall never fade as long as even one of us is left alive.
Our Beloved Macon Confederate Monuments
Macon has much of which her citizens can be justly proud, but there is nothing that she has done, or that will be done which will reflect more honor upon her people than our magnificent Confederate monuments. These monuments must always be an object of great interest, awakening in the minds of all the most gratifying recollections, filling our hearts to overflowing with unutterable sentiments of patriotism; with love for our fellow man and obedience to the Supreme Architect of the universe.
Long may they stand and be preserved from the destroyer’s hand and may those who have contributed in the past, may contribute now or aid in their future existence; live long to enjoy with us all the blessings of a well spent life. May their splendid summit stand for centuries, being kissed by the first and last rays of the rising and setting sun, to stimulate to bold deeds those who strive to live and work in our fair city.
Are not the martyrs of such a cause entitled to their monuments? Yes is the answer on the lips of all with even the most basic instincts of civility and culture. Will friendly hands withhold the commemorating wreath? No my friends, - a thousand times, no, will be the response of every unselfish patriot. Or a generous foe grudgingly consent that it may rise and stand before the eyes of the generations to come? Perhaps the day will come when men who once disagreed with us will shake our hand, clasp us fraternally and admit that our hearts were right, and if we erred it was because we loved the rights of the State too sensitively and too well. The men whose memories we cherish by the noble monuments you this day come before to contemplate, laid down their lives as they firmly believed in defense of that interpretation of freedom under our constitution which was a tradition with us. All they hoped to accomplish by the war thrust upon them was the preservation of such rights as the constitution guaranteed. We this day, and for all time, will honor them most by upholding in all its strength and purity such a government as that constitution has established.
We will honor our dead, we will gather annually around their graves with a tribute of tears and flowers; we will cherish their memories and defend their names against the assaults of false accusers; we will raise monuments to transmit their fame to ages to come. This we will do in love for them and for the cause which perished with them.
Let the monument’s tributes rise with time. Let them remain a perpetual reminder of those who in the path of duty took from death’s hand the garlands of victory. Let them stand until deeds of valor and heroism are no longer sung or recorded on the historic page. Let their voiceless marble lips tell the story of those who died for principle, truth and right to coming generations while the ceaseless seasons bloom and fade.
And when time, wearied with the march of years, shall expire in the arms of eternity, may these structures whose foundation stones were laid in times past but not forgotten, be the last thing on which the eyes of the patriot may rest when the veil is removed which shuts from view the band of those who, loyal and true, have “crossed over the river” and with all of our Southern heroes are “resting under the
shade of the trees.”
*Words borrowed from several first dedication speeches in 1879 regarding the Macon Confederate Soldier Monument with words inserted or composed by Mr. Smith and put together for this composition in 2021.
Organizer
Joe Smith
Organizer
Macon, GA