Making Marble Men: An Interview with Monuments Across Dixie
Written By J.R. Dunmore
Many may not know this, but one of the inciting incidents that led me down the road to starting Virginia Gentry was the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue from Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 10th of 2021. That very same day, I ordered a small bust statue of General Lee to keep in my home, as I was unsure if any of our monuments would remain unmolested, and I wanted my children to know what the Marble Man looked like. I don’t have to remind any of you, dear readers, what kind of attacks our historical markers and monuments came under in the past few years. That being said, I had almost lost hope for future generations of Southerners to be able to enjoy these reminders of their collective past. That is, until I became aware of heritage-conscious Southerners doing good work to preserve our history into perpetuity, like the fine folks over at Monuments Across Dixie.
I first came across them about a year ago via X.com, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I began to really pay attention to the work that they were doing. For the uninitiated, Monuments Across Dixie is a historical preservation group dedicated to keeping our Confederate heritage open and accessible to the public by the creation of new monuments. It was through the ongoing project to recreate and erect a one-to-one replica of Henry Shrady and Leo Lentelli’s General Lee statue that once stood proudly in Charlottesville, Va., that I came to pay close attention to them. At the time, they were giving away a numbered replica desk statue of the very same monument for a specific donation. You can find a picture of my desk statue below.
After that, I reached out and asked them if they would be willing to do a short interview (just as much to satisfy my own curiosity as to give them more exposure). You will find that below.
VG: What inspired the formation of Monuments Across Dixie, and how has your mission evolved over time?
MAD: The moment they removed the 1st monument, I realized it had to be countered in some way. In 2017 the idea was created, If they move a monument, let's get one back up that we can control. The mission has always been, control the land, control the monument, control the narrative.
VG: Excellent. How do you define “historical preservation” in the context of creating new monuments? In other words, what does historical preservation mean to your organization as you create new moments?
MAD: It's hard to preserve what you don't own. Its unfortunate that a large majority of the monuments were gifted to local or state governments. However, we can preserve the original intent of placement and the meaning through new monuments, parks, and seeking ownership of original monuments. We also encourage groups to seek out friendly local governments now to gain control of the land and monuments before demographics shift. We also support the creation of private parks that are accessible to the public. Having 100% access to monuments gives us the opportunity to undo what the media has done. We can again celebrate our ancestors without having to ask for government permission to gather or fly a battle flag.
VG: That’s wonderful. Would you walk us through your process for selecting which historical events or figures to commemorate?
MAD: We do that by request.
Interesting. How do you balance historical accuracy with artistic interpretation when conceptualizing a new monument? Or is this left to the commissioned artist?
MAD: We gather photos, do rough sketches, digital mock-ups to send to the sculptor before the clay sculpture begins. They review them. They may ask for different angles or closeups. We make edits to the clay sculpture once it's completed. That process takes weeks.
VG: What funding models do you rely on, and how do you secure the necessary resources for these large-scale projects?
MAD: We've used a variety of models to make projects happen. Groups will reach out wanting to do a project and we help make it happen. With the Charlottesville Lee, Captain Ellsworth’s Telegraph SCV Camp is doing the primary fundraising.
VG: How do you plan for the long-term maintenance and preservation of the monuments once they are erected? Also, what are some of the biggest challenges your society faces in erecting new monuments, both logistically and politically?
MAD: The groups that raise them have plans to take care of them long-term. Raising new monuments just depends on the will of the people. If a group wants to raise a new monument, we help make it happen
VG: In what ways do you measure the impact of your monuments on public understanding of history?
MAD: Owning the monument prevents contextual perversion that many original monuments now have through government signage. Being able to tell our story is crucial in preserving our history and heritage.
VG: What upcoming projects or initiatives are you most excited about, and how do they align with your long-term vision for historical preservation?
MAD: Our goal is to counter every removal. Anytime we can make a removal null and void, that’s exciting. There are plans to rebuild the New Orleans Lee statue after we complete the statue in Charlottesville.
VG: That it is! Last one. What advice would you offer to other communities or organizations looking to engage in similar projects?
MAD: We make the process as simple as possible to assist both individuals and groups. From fundraising ideas all the way to the delivery of the statue.
VG: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions about your organization. Is there anything else you would like to say?
MAD: This idea ironically isn't a new concept. A few years ago I found an old Confederate Veterans magazine with an advertisement that had the same concept. (Image below)
MAD Cont.: We literally used almost identical verbiage We could be raising monuments weekly if people would buy into this idea.
What we want people to remember is that defeat is a mindset. We have to take action and take ownership and not rely on government officials on any level to promote and protect our Southern Heritage. Flip the script, and turn every removal into an opportunity to defeat their will. Change the headline! We can either continue to read that government officials removed a monument to appease the social justice mob or read that Southern citizens placed a new monument that anti-Southern public officials can't remove.
Thanks for reading this interview. Good people are still doing good work for our heritage, and I am here for it!
If you would like to find Monuments Across Dixie on X, you can find them here.
If you are interested in donating to their monument projects, you can find their website here.
Thank you for your post. It is not only timely, but sheds light on so much that is wrong with how many view history. Events that took place in 1861 have to be viewed through the prism of the era, and when it comes to Robert E. Lee, EVERY American should pay homage to this man. He gave his word that day at Appomattox that he would not re-assemble an army and continue fighting a guerilla war, one that could have drug on for years.
Many do not know this fact, but there were only TWO MEN that did not receive their United States citizenship back after the Civil War. Those two men were Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Lee died a man without a country.
Great interview!