Dublin Core
Title
Robert E. Lee Monument/ Lee Circle, New Orleans
Description
The Robert E. Lee Monumental Association was established in 1870 upon the Confederate general’s passing. Led by William Perkins as president, this group of New Orleans citizens, many of whom were Civil War veterans, assembled for the sole purpose of erecting a monument to commemorate Lee. Although cultural struggles between Reconstruction and the Lost Cause narrative delayed plans for the memorial, sculptor Alexander Doyle was commissioned to create the statue [1], while John Ray was to construct the base. The bronze statue was 16 and a half feet tall, weighing in at almost 7,000 pounds. The pedestal on which it stood consisted of a 12-foot granite base and a 60-foot marble column [2].
The monument was unveiled on February 22, 1884 [3] . Its grandiose nature and placement on a traffic circle at St. Charles and Howard Avenues [4] inevitably made the monument a centerpiece in the city. It equated the honor with which the Association wanted to bestow onto their respected leader. The plaza, Tivoli Circle, was subsequently renamed Lee Circle and became a site for future civic celebrations [5]. The dedication day included distinguished guests, from Jefferson Davis and his daughters, Lee’s daughters Mary and Mildred, senators and foreign consuls, to justices of the supreme and state courts, and military officers.
Much like other Confederate monuments, the removal of this statue was prompted by domestic tragedies carried out by white supremacists. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu advocated for removing Confederate monuments in the city after the 2015 massacre of nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, SC [6], citing the harmful sentiments of racism, slavery, oppression, and the Lost Cause that they represent. For a couple of years, legal barriers prevented the swift removal of the monument. The Robert E. Lee Monument was taken down on May 19, 2017, one of four statues removed in New Orleans.
The monument was unveiled on February 22, 1884 [3] . Its grandiose nature and placement on a traffic circle at St. Charles and Howard Avenues [4] inevitably made the monument a centerpiece in the city. It equated the honor with which the Association wanted to bestow onto their respected leader. The plaza, Tivoli Circle, was subsequently renamed Lee Circle and became a site for future civic celebrations [5]. The dedication day included distinguished guests, from Jefferson Davis and his daughters, Lee’s daughters Mary and Mildred, senators and foreign consuls, to justices of the supreme and state courts, and military officers.
Much like other Confederate monuments, the removal of this statue was prompted by domestic tragedies carried out by white supremacists. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu advocated for removing Confederate monuments in the city after the 2015 massacre of nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, SC [6], citing the harmful sentiments of racism, slavery, oppression, and the Lost Cause that they represent. For a couple of years, legal barriers prevented the swift removal of the monument. The Robert E. Lee Monument was taken down on May 19, 2017, one of four statues removed in New Orleans.
Creator
Alexander Doyle, John Ray
Source
1. “Lee Circle,” R.E. Lee Monumental Association, accessed December 2, 2021, https://www.releema.org/lee-circle.
2. “History and Description of the Robert E. Lee Statue at Lee's Circle in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1930s,” Louisiana Digital Library, 2007, https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lwp%3A7939.
3. “Robert E. Lee,” The Times-Democrat, February 22, 1884, p. 4.
4. “Asset Detail,” National Parks Service (U.S. Department of the Interior, March 13, 1991), https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=8037cbec-19ee-4c8f-abaa-d7ec61fd6d09.
5. Shelby Narike, Amber Nicholson, and Herbert Spurlock, “Robert E. Lee Monument - Stop 1 of 4 in the Confederate Monuments in New Orleans Tour,” New Orleans Historical, May 12, 2016, https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1279.
6. Richard Gonzales and Amy Held, “New Orleans Takes down Statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee,” NPR (NPR, May 19, 2017), https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/19/529130606/new-orleans-prepares-to-take-down-statue-of-gen-robert-e-lee.
2. “History and Description of the Robert E. Lee Statue at Lee's Circle in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1930s,” Louisiana Digital Library, 2007, https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lwp%3A7939.
3. “Robert E. Lee,” The Times-Democrat, February 22, 1884, p. 4.
4. “Asset Detail,” National Parks Service (U.S. Department of the Interior, March 13, 1991), https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=8037cbec-19ee-4c8f-abaa-d7ec61fd6d09.
5. Shelby Narike, Amber Nicholson, and Herbert Spurlock, “Robert E. Lee Monument - Stop 1 of 4 in the Confederate Monuments in New Orleans Tour,” New Orleans Historical, May 12, 2016, https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1279.
6. Richard Gonzales and Amy Held, “New Orleans Takes down Statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee,” NPR (NPR, May 19, 2017), https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/19/529130606/new-orleans-prepares-to-take-down-statue-of-gen-robert-e-lee.
Date
1884
Contributor
Julia Vargas, Samuel McMillan (2023)
Type
Sculpture
Identifier
HIST 402A Fall 2021
Coverage
New Orleans, LA