Removal of the Reconciliation Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
12/12/2025
Statement from Julie N. Hardaway, President General (2024-2026), United Daughters of the Confederacy®:
“For more than 100 years, the Reconciliation Memorial stood as a testament to unity and forgiveness. Its removal dishonors that spirit and the solemn promise made between our organization and the United States government in 1914. The UDC is taking this step to protect history, honor commitments, and preserve the sanctity of Arlington National Cemetery for future generations.”
Background:
The United Daughters of the Confederacy® (UDC) has filed a federal lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and monetary damages in response to the dismantling and removal on Dec. 20, 2023, of the Reconciliation Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery.
The UDC contracted with Sculptor Moses Ezekiel, whose exquisite design was dedicated in June 1914. Originally titled “The New South”, the Memorial was a gift from the UDC to the people of the United States and was accepted by President Woodrow Wilson on behalf of the nation.
For more than a century, it stood in Section 16 of Arlington National Cemetery as a symbol of reconciliation and unity following the War Between the States, honoring the memory of nearly 500 Confederate soldiers and their families who rest there.
The UDC’s lawsuit asserts that the federal government’s actions violated the National Historic Sites Act, breached the longstanding agreement governing the placement of the Memorial, and disregarded the historical and cultural significance of the monument as part of Arlington’s sacred landscape.
The Reconciliation Memorial was never intended to glorify conflict or division. The monument was a symbol of national healing, of renouncing old animosities, of abandoning divisiveness between the North and South, a genesis that began with the Spanish-American War and solidified with entering the great World War in April 1917. Its purpose—acknowledged at its dedication and reaffirmed by generations of leaders—was to honor the spirit of national healing and mutual respect. The spirit of reconciliation began with President McKinley when he spoke in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 1898 emphasizing national unity and care for all disabled veterans. Presidents from both political parties, including President Barack Obama, have laid wreaths at the Reconciliation Memorial in recognition of that enduring message.
The UDC remains committed to its historical, educational, benevolent, memorial and patriotic missions, which include preserving historical artifacts and sites entrusted to its care. This legal action seeks to uphold the integrity of the 1914 gift, ensure the return of UDC property such as the cornerstone and time capsule with 38 items, and affirm that national memorials must be treated with dignity and respect.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy® encourages all citizens to approach this issue with reflection and respect for our nation’s complex history, remembering that true reconciliation requires acknowledgment, preservation, and understanding—not erasure.
