The memorial was installed by the Robert E. Lee Chapter #186 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy[1] and unveiled on his birthday in January 1908.

[3] A 1911 history of the city said it has "done much to preserve the memory of the Confederate soldiers who have passed over the river and to care for and comfort those who are still on this side".

[4] Doubts about the monument were expressed in 2015 after the racially motivated Charleston church shooting, with one citizen asking, "Is it something that we want to take pride in anymore when so many people are offended by it?

[7] While the plans to relocate the statues had been formulating for some time, the events surrounding the death of former Houston resident George Floyd prompted the mayor and task force to move forward.

The monument was removed on June 16, 2020,[8] and arrived at the Houston Museum of African American Culture on August 18.