Being polled for the issue among several organizations, state residents were split among full removal of the monuments and leaving them in place and adding informative context such as signage.

[3] The east-facing monument sported a 67-foot-tall (20 m) Doric column topped by a female bronze figure called Vindicatrix, an allegorical representation of Southern womanhood.

The bronze statues, Vindacatrix and Jefferson Davis in the center – the latter situated atop a block of granite[7][8] – were designed by Edward Virginius Valentine; the arrangement was planned by William C.

[9] This is done not in hostility to others, not to injure any section of the country, not even for our own pecuniary benefit; but from the high and solemn motive of defending and protecting the rights we inherited, and which it is our sacred duty to transmit unshorn to our children.The plaque on the left end of the monument reads [both plaques originally all in caps]: The Army of the Confederate States------------------------------------------------From Sumter to Appomattox four years of unflinching struggle against overwhelming odds------------------------------------------------Glory ineffable these around their dear land wrapping wrapt around themselves the purple mantle of death.Dying, they died not at all, but, from the grave and its shadow, valor invincible lifts them glorified ever on high.The plaque on the right end of the monument reads: The Navy of the Confederate States------------------------------------------------Giving new examples of heroism teaching new methods of warfare it carried the flag of the South to the most distant seas------------------------------------------------If to die nobly be ever the proudest glory of virtue, this of all men has fortune greatly granted to them, for,yearning with deep desire to clothe their country with freedom now at the last they rest full of an ageless fameDuring the many years required to raise the funds needed for the memorial, various designs and placements in the city were considered.

[8] A local newspaper said of the memorial at the time, "The entire monument ... typifies the vindication of Mr. Davis and the cause of the Confederacy for which he stood before the world..."[8] "These objects are so powerful and were made for a very particular intention, for a group of people to try and convey their dominance over other free Americans.

[13] The statue of Vindicatrix, representing Southern womanhood, on top of the central column, was removed by the City of Richmond on July 8, 2020.