Existing comment:
Jackson Monuments
The effort to erect a monument at the site of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's mortal wounding began in February 1887, when Fredericksburg newspaper editor Rufus Merchant founded the Stonewall Jackson Monument Association. On June 13, 1888, a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators attended dedication ceremonies at the monument. Guests included the former Confederate cavalry general, Governor Fitzhugh Lee, whose vigilant scouting activities during the Battle of Chancellorsville contributed to Jackson's success. Prior to construction of the monument, Jackson's former staff officers, Beverly Tucker Lacy and James Power Smith, assisted by Lacy's brother, J. Horace, of nearby Ellwood Plantation, transported the large quartz boulder to the wounding site. |