Confederate soldier monument
The Confederate soldier monument, sometimes referred to as "The Boys Who Wore Gray," was built as a tribute to the Durham County soldiers who fought in the American Civil War on behalf of the Confederate States of America.
The monument included a bronze sculpture of a male Confederate soldier wearing a uniform and carrying a weapon on top of a granite foundation. Two lampposts and a pyramid made of four cannonballs were also placed on the plinth. On the base, there are inscriptions that write: In Memory of 'The Boys in Gray' on the front, 'This memorial erected by the people of Durham County' on the right, and 'Dedicated May 10th, 1924' on the left.
The monument was built in 1924 in Durham, North Carolina, in front of the Old Durham County Courthouse, and it was dedicated on May 10 of the same year. Construction of the memorial was paid for with public money, namely one-half of one percent of local county taxes through a provision of the state legislature. The monument was toppled and extensively damaged by protesters on August 14, 2017, as part of countrywide protests in response to the tragic attack on counter-protestors at the Unite the Right gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia.
To conclude, the Confederate soldier monument:
- was built on May 10th, 1924.
- to honor the Durham County soldiers who fought in the American Civil War.
- included a bronze sculpture, two lampposts, and a pyramid.
