The monument honors Confederate soldiers from Charleston, most notably those who served at Fort Sumter during the American Civil War.

Built with funds provided by a local philanthropist, the monument was designed by Hermon Atkins MacNeil and was dedicated in White Point Garden in 1932.

In 1928, Andrew Buist Murray, a notable philanthropist from Charleston, died and left $100,000 in his will for the purposes of erecting a monument of this nature.

[2][3][4] Hermon Atkins MacNeil was chosen as the designer for the monument, and New York City-based Delano & Aldrich served as the architectural firm.

[6] Burnet R. Maybank, the Mayor of Charleston, declared the day a public holiday to allow municipal employees to attend the ceremony.

[6][8] Following the unveiling, a Confederate flag, said to be the last one to fly over Fort Sumter, was placed at the base of the monument along with two wreaths made of white and red carnations.

According to historian Robert J. Cook, "The Lost Cause flourished amid these changes," and he points to Johnson's keynote speech during the monument's dedication as an example of this.

The event was organized by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, who also called for a repeal of the act barring the monuments' removals.

[22] On May 30, 2020, as part of the George Floyd protests in the United States, the statue was again vandalized, with "traitors" and "BLM" spray-painted on the pedestal.

The figure in front is a warrior, symbolizing the Confederate soldiers from Charleston, wearing only a fig leaf and sandals and holding both a sword and a shield bearing the Seal of South Carolina.