It's difficult to appreciate the size of the Confederate Memorial Carving from a photograph. The three men on horseback look almost small against the massive side of Stone Mountain. To give some perspective, two school busses could be parked on the back end of Robert E. Lee's horse. This magnificent memorial consists of three acres of chiseled granite making it the largest high relief sculpture in the world. For shear size it even surpasses the better known and more "politically correct" four heads on South Dakota's Mt. Rushmore.
In front is Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. The central and most prominent figure is that of General Robert E. Lee, and behind him is his right hand man, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The carving, first envisioned in 1912, was not begun until 1923 and was finally completed in 1972. Three sculptors worked on the creation, the first being Gutzon Borglum, who later carved the Mt. Rushmore Memorial in South Dakota. Augustus Lukeman, the second sculptor, did the bulk of the work of carving the three central figures of the Confederacy on horseback.
Lack of funding and other problems caused work of the sculpture to remain idle for 36 years. Then in 1958 the state of Georgia purchased the mountain and the surrounding land. Walker Kirkland Hancock of Gloucester, Massachusetts was chosen to complete the carving and work resumed in 1964. A new technique utilizing thermo-jet torches was used to carve away the granite. Chief carver Roy Faulkner did much of the fine carving, completing the work of art with the detail of a fine painting.
Dedication ceremonies for the Confederate Memorial Carving were held on May 9, 1970. Finishing touches to the masterpiece were completed in 1972.
THE THREE CONFEDERATE LEADERS depicted on Stone Mountain were all noble men who were champions of liberty for all people.
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE was strongly opposed to slavery and when he inherited slaves through his wife's family he set them free. This was at a time when Union General Ulysses S. Grant was a slaveholder who refused to give us his slaves - and continued to work his slaves throughout the War Between the States.
GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON was a civil rights activist who organized black Sunday Schools through his integrated Presbyterian church in Lexington, Virginia, where African Americans were taught to read and write as well as spiritual and Biblical truths. Teaching slaves to read was considered by many to be a step toward emancipation - and this was many years before the War Between the States. The black citizens of Lexington, Virginia, later raised money to erect a statue in his honor.
PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS had an adapted free black son who lived with him in the Confederate White House in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of his family.
Stone Mountain is the most popular State Park in Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta - a Southern city which is a model of racial harmony for the entire nation. I've been to Stone Mountain dozens of times over the years and on every visit I have seen people from every race and ethnicity peacefully enjoying themselves in this beautiful and historic setting.
To see my Stone Moutain set on Flickr, or to view the photo in a much higher resolution, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/2776794690/
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Photo and Article by J. Stephen Conn
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