Seventh Florida Infantry Regiment Monument, Bartow, FL
Florida, Post-Reconstruction, Infantry Regiment
This monument is a memorial dedicated to the Seventh Florida Infantry Regiment located at Old Polk County Courthouse in Bartow Florida. It is in the shape of a tombstone and the words, "In memory of the 79 militiamen under command of Captain Nathan S. Blount who marched from Gainesville to muster into the CS Army rendering gallant service from April 10, 1862-April 26, 1865." are carved on it. The Seventh Florida Infantry Regiment was raised from men in the vicinity of where the monument was placed. The regiment took part in the Civil War as part of the larger Army of Tennessee. The marker was raised on July 3, 1982, by the General Evander Mclver Law Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans group. As far as Confederate monuments are concerned it is fairly non-controversial, as the marker simply memorializes an infantry regiment rather than lionize a general or praise the Confederacy.
In 2021, the monument was voted by the Bartow Historical Commission to move the monument to the local Oak Hill cemetery which hosts the remains of Confederate Soldiers who were a part of the Seventh Florida Infantry Regiment. This decision was sparked following the wave of protests, and activism surrounding the calls for the removal of Confederate monuments across the United States that started with the Charleston Church shooting in 2015. The vote was made with a 4-1 decision with the primary concerns being the cost of removal and moving fees, with the single no voter protesting the move as they wanted to cover up and or remove the Confederate Flag that was inscribed on the monument.
The decision to relocate rather than outright destroy the Confederate monument is not an uncommon one. It is reflective of one of the more moderate stances taken in regard to the Confederate monument controversy that has been sweeping the United State for the past several years.
General Evander McIver Law Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
"Bartow". Florida Public Archaeology Network. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Accessed Nov 17, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20170816060615/http://fpan.us/civilwar/monuments/bartow
DaSilva, Staci. “Descendant of Confederate soldier advocates for relocation of Bartow monument.” WFLA-TV. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/descendant-of-confederate-soldier-advocates-for-relocation-of-bartow-monument/
Shalin, Dan. “Bartow Historical Commission Votes To Move Civil War Monument.” Patch. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://patch.com/florida/lakeland/bartow-historical-commission-votes-move-civil-war-monument
Erected: July 3, 1982
Michael Westfall
English
Regimental Marker
Hist 402A Fall 2023
Bartow, FL
Our Confederate Dead, Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson, South Carolina
This Confederat monument is located in Anderson County, Anderson, South Carolina. The statue is of native Anderson County Confederate soldier William Wirt Humphreys. The statue was made to honor all Confederate soldiers from Anderson County and the idea of it began in 1886. The real planning began in 1891 when local school teacher Leonora Hubbard encouraged her young students to raise money for the statue's development. This inspired many of the locals and sixteen years later in 1902, the monument was unveiled. The statue has inscriptions on the north, west, and south sides. On the side pointing north, there is a Palmetto tree--symbol of South Carolina--over crossed swords on top of a laurel wreath. This sign represents the Confederate cavalry. On the lower side of that inscription, there is a Battle Flag and a section of the poem "The Conquered Ban" by American poet and Confederate proponent Father Abram Joseph Ryan. On the west side, there is an inscription, “CSA” and a cannon that represents the Confederate artillery. On the lower die is inscribed a list of the great battles of the war. On the south side of the monument, there is another inscription that represents the Confederate navy. And finally, on the east side, there is an inscription that says "Our Confederate Dead," where the monument gets its name. According to a 2017 <em>Greenville News</em> article, the monument is surrounded by a steel fence after protests began throughout the south asking for Civil War monuments to be removed. According to the article, this particular statue had not yet been targeted but the fence was put there as a precaution against vandalism. As of June 2020, after the Black Lives Matter protests, there is a petition to remove it. <span>The County Council had a meeting to debate the removal. County has no control because it is up to the state. They are hoping to relocate it if the state allows it. </span>
1902 by Citizens of Anderson County.
1. "Anderson Confederate Monument Erected in Jan.1902." Accessed 09 December 2021. http://andersonobserver.com/news/2017/8/17/anderson-confederate- monument-erected-in-jan-1902.html
2. "Anderson County Confederate Monument." Accessed 09 December 2021.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=155713
3. "Editorial: The fate of Confederate monuments should reside with local residents" Accessed 09 December 2021.
https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/2017/09/06/editorial-fate-confederate-monuments-should-reside-local-residents/637243001/
"Growing calls to remove Confederate monument in Anderson" https://www.wyff4.com/article/growing-calls-to-remove-confederate-monument-in-anderson/32804240#
The idea to make a monument was first brought up in 1886 on "Declaration Day" but it was not unveiled until 1902.
Andrea Mercado, Raylene Castellano
English
Confederate Monument
HIST 402A Fall 2021
Tribute to Confederate soldiers in the United States.