View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/89

Description: A marble statue of a uniformed Confederate soldier stands erect while resting the butt of his rifle on the base of the sculpture. The base of the sculpture contains inscriptions on all four sides as well as an inscription of two crossed flags below the letters C.S.A.

Inscription:
Front: TO THE / CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS / OF / ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

Right: GOD BLESS NORTH CAROLINA / R. E. LEE / LET POSTERITY LEARN THEIR/ TRUE STORY AND FOREVER / PONDER THEIR PATRIOTIC DEVOTION

Left: AT THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL THEY / SPRANG TO HER DEFENSE; / AND ON THE ALTAR OF CIVIL LIBERTY / OFFERED AS A SACRIFICE / THEIR PROPERTY AND THEIR LIVES

Rear: TRUE AS THE STEEL OF THEIR / TIRED BLADES. / HEROS IN HEART AND HAND, / THEY FOUGHT LIKE BRAVE MEN, / LONG AND WELL.

Dedication date: 6/29/1910

Materials & Techniques: Marble

Sponsor: United Daughters of the Confederacy, Rockingham County Chapter #586

Cost: $2116

Unveiling & Dedication: The crowd sang "America" at the 1910 unveiling of the monument. Speeches were given by H. R. Scott, Mayor Fancis Womack, Mr. E.R. Harris of the Scales Boyd Camp of the United Confederate Veterans, and Cyrus B. Watson.

Post dedication use: The 100th anniversary celebration of the monument's creation was held on July 1, 2010.

Controversies: As with many Confederate monuments, the continued presence of the statue is a point of contention within the community. After a car accident destroyed the monument, some residents celebrated its removal, while others demanded its replacement. There was some confusion over who actually owned the monument; Reidsville and the North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) decided not to return a repaired sculpture to the original location in front of the library. Local groups formed, some opposing a new monument and others calling for a replacement. Organizations for and against replacing the monument participated in the 2011 Reidsville Christmas parade.

In December of 2011, the UDC announced its intent to repair the monument and relocate it to the nearby Greenview Cemetery. The newly formed Historic Preservation Action Committee and the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) filed a lawsuit against the city of Reidsville, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy; the lawsuit claims the monument to be public property and demands the return of the statue to its original location. Adding to the confusion, some members of the local branch of the UDC have also sided with the SCV instead of the state leadership.

Location: The monument faces South.

Former Locations: On May 23, 2011, a car struck the monument after the driver fell asleep. The statue was shattered. As of April 2012, a new statue is planned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in nearby Greenview Cemetery.

Landscape: The monument is located in the center of the traffic circle at the intersection of W. Morehead St. and N. Scales St. in Reidsville. It is surrounded by a circular bed of flowers and a circular brick sidewalk.

City: Reidsville

County: Rockingham

Subjects: Civil War