Jacksonville's Civil War memorials

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Although few in number compared with many other Southern cities, a variety of monuments and memorials commemorating the Civil War exist in Jacksonville. They include graves, historic sites associated with camps and battles, monuments to those on both sides of the war and schools, and place names dedicated to Civil War figures.

The earliest monuments, built within a few decades of the war, are generally much simpler in message and tend to be dedicated to local soldiers who fought; both Confederate and Union monuments exist.

In later decades, organizations representing veterans and their descendants spearheaded the creation of more Confederate memorials, which moved beyond commemorating local soldiers and events to celebrating the Confederate cause. These memorials increasingly romanticized the Confederacy and in some cases downplayed Jacksonville’s substantial Unionist history.

Starting in the later 20th century, local authorities and groups began erecting markers and establishing parks commemorating significant Civil War sites. These more recent memorials mostly strike a dispassionate, historical tone to document the local impact of a war long over.

These memorials reflect how the city has elected to remember the Civil War across its history. As Jacksonville enters the national debate over removing Confederate monuments, it is worth taking a comprehensive look at these memorials and the eras in which they were established.

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