The Gettysburg Truth Project.
about.
The Gettysburg Battlefield, site of the turning point of the Civil War, is home to monuments representing states, military units, and people of the three-day battle. Many of them honor the bigoted Confederacy, whose allies fought a losing battle not only for secession but also in unabashed support of the continuation of slavery.
This web site is intended to provide additional context regarding many of these monuments to help prevent the atrocities against African Americans from being overshadowed by deceiving structures that might otherwise present an undeserved image of valor. It is important to recognize the whole truth behind these monuments as long they remain standing.
This is just a start. More information is welcome. Please share in the contact section, below.
monuments.
See each square below to learn more about Confederate monuments and their racist background.
Alabama
State Monument
1933
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Alabama was the birthplace of the Confederacy, with the secession convention held at Montgomery. Newspapers in Alabama supported secession to preserve slavery.
Arkansas
State Monument
1966
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During the presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was not even on the ballot in Arkansas. In 1861 at the Secession Convention, Governor Rector urged that "slavery must be extended..."
Florida
State Monument
1963
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Florida was the third state to secede from the Union. Nearly half of its population was slaves.
Georgia State Monument
1961
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In 1860, Governor Brown said that "submission to...Mr. Lincoln will result in the final abolition of slavery. If we fail to resist now, we will never again have the strength to resist."
Louisiana State Monument
1971
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In 1861, Governor Moore said, "I do not think it comports with the honor...of Louisiana as a slave-holding state to live under the government of a Black Republic president."
Mississippi State Monument
1961
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Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was a Mississippi politician. The majority of the state's population was slaves.
North Carolina
State Monument
1929
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North Carolina contributed more troops to the Confederacy than any other state.
South Carolina
State Monument
1963
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South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. Congressman Keith said in 1860 that, "We of the South contend that slavery is right."
Tennesse
State Monument
1982
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Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the Memphis Massacre occurred, in which mobs of white residents and policemen rampaged through black neighborhoods attacking, raping, and killing black soldiers and civilians.
Texas
State Monument
1964
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Texas issued a declaration of secession in 1860, stating "governments...were established exclusively by the white race" and "that the African race were rightly held...as an inferior and dependent race."
Virginia
State Monument
1917
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The statue prominently features Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army, whose own cruelty on his planation nearly led to a slave revolt. He asserted that slavery was good for black people. Richmond, Virginia, served as the capitol of the Confederacy.
Brigadier General
Lewis Armistead
1887
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Armistead left the Unite States Army to fight for the Confederacy. He led his brigade to the furthest point during Pickett's Charge.
General
Robert E. Lee
1917
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Lee was commander of the Confederate army until its surrender in 1865. He supported the protection of slavery and is prominently featured on the Virginia State Monument.
Lieutenant General
James Longstreet
1998
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Longstreet was one of the highest ranked generals of the Confederate Army and referred by General Lee as "my old war horse." To the dismay of many Southerners, he later became an ally of President Ulysses Grant and was critical of Lee's tactics.
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
1965​
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This memorial to all the Confederate soldiers is engraved in honor of the "Heroic defenders of their country..." Yet the Confederacy waged war against the United States of America to preserve white supremacy.
A number of other monuments and markers acknowledge various units and brigades as well as headquarters of Confederate leaders, all fighting to preserve the institution of slavery. For more information on the fundamental cause of the Confederacy, please see "What This Cruel War Was Over" by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
contact.
Additional details or corrections based on cited research are welcome using this contact form. The Gettysburg Truth Project is currently privately funded. The only donations we accept are gifts of factual information to help raise awareness of the truth behind these monuments.