ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington Cemetery officials presented final design plans Thursday for returning a Confederate memorial to Arlington National Cemetery, advancing a restoration project that reverses the monument’s removal under a congressional directive three years ago.
A representative of the Office of Army Cemeteries outlined the proposal at a meeting of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The bronze sculpture is undergoing conservation work and is expected to return to Section 16 of the cemetery in 2027.
The memorial, created by sculptor and Confederate veteran Moses Ezekiel, was unveiled in 1914. Its imagery includes a woman representing the South, Confederate soldiers and depictions of two enslaved Black people. It stood among graves of Confederate soldiers until the Army dismantled it in December 2023.
That removal followed recommendations by a congressionally mandated commission charged with identifying military property that honored the Confederacy. The commission found the memorial’s imagery and historical message inconsistent with the military’s obligation to remove Confederate commemorations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in 2025 that the sculpture would be restored and returned. The administration describes the move as preserving American history, while critics say placing the memorial back in a national military cemetery would again confer official honor on the Confederacy.
The Army previously estimated that conservation and restoration would cost about $10 million. Cemetery officials say the reinstated work will be accompanied by interpretive information about its history, and the monument is expected to bear Ezekiel’s name.
The cemetery’s public website continues to identify 2027 as the anticipated return date. The Army has not announced a specific installation day.
