Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807 (d. October 12, 1870), and was one of the most prominent Confederate figures (General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States) during the US Civil War. As such, he was selected to be honored on the Stone Mountain Memorial to be carved on Stone Mountain - an immense granite/quartz monzonite/granodiorite mound outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
On January 19, 1924 - the 117th Anniversary of Lee's birth - a celebration was held at the Stone Mountain Memorial to honor Lee and unveil his partially completed figure (work-in-progress head carving) on the mountain's side; the portrait was hidden behind two large US flags prior to its unveiling.
The event was attended by hundreds of people (at least one estimate claims approximately 5,000), and included VIPs such as Hollins N. Randolph (Atlanta), the president of the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association ("Association"), Dr. Plato Durham, president of Emory University in Atlanta and a featured speaker, members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), surviving Civil War veterans along with contemporary US military members and Helen Plane (Atlanta) an 84-year-old widow of a Confederate officer (she flipped a switch that signaled workmen to unveil the Lee carving) plus Governors of six southern states, in addition to Clifford W. Walker of Georgia: Cary A. Hardy (Florida), Autin W. Peavy (Tennessee), E. Lee Trinkle (Virginia), Cameron Morrison (North Carolina) Thomas G. McLeod (South Carolina) and W. W. Brandon (Alabama).
On the same day, William David Upshaw (D-GA) rose in the House of Representatives and offered patriotic remarks on behalf of the proceedings taking place to the south of Washington, DC. Representative Upshaw's opening comments:
Mr. Chairman, this is the birthday of Robert E. Lee. Down in my district -- the fifth district of Georgia -- this anniversary of the natal day of Virginia's immortal son is being celebrated in unique and indescribable grandeur. High up on the side of Stone Mountain, the largest granite rock in the world, the sculptured head of the great military strategist and stainless Christian patriot is being unveiled with imposing ceremonies. It is the first inspiring step in the plan to give "history's supreme monument" to the world. The colossal statue of Robert E. Lee which will be the central figure of the central group in the great Confederate Memorial being carved by the famous sculptor, Gutzon Borglum will be as high as a 15-story building -- the other figures in proportion. The whole imposing panorama will sweep across the awe-inspiring precipice to the length of 1,350 feet, making forever vocal to the millions who will visit that shrine of unexampled splendor the heroism of southern chieftains and the deathless love of their loyal followers in that tragic "strife of brothers" [applause] - a strife that was born of a worthy concept of loyalty to the Constitution on both sides and that eventuated, in the providence of the God of nations, in a clarified Constitution and one common flag for Americans -- Americans everywhere! [Applause.]Note: The scope and dimensions of the Memorial were subsequently revised to more manageable specifications.The preceding comments were just Upshaw's opening to his extended remarks that extolled the virtues of Lee and his "Christian character." The remarks were decidedly pro-Confederacy and lacked any reflection on the slavery issue. Of course, it was 1924 not 2024, so Upshaw's comments aren't all that surprising - I'll just say they haven't aged well when viewed through 21st Century lenses.
The original Lee carving was created under the supervision of Gutzon Borglum. In the months following the unveiling, the relationship between Borglum and the Association soured significantly (it had begun to turn previously) and led to Borglum's firing. Agustus Lukeman was hired to take over the project and he blasted Borglum's work off the mountain face to make way for his own vision. Thus, the Lee mountainside carving unveiled on the 117th Anniversary of his birth exists only in pictures not in 3-D granite.
The 1925 commemorative coin reflects Borglum's designs, however, as he had completed the coin models prior to his firing.
1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more on the Stone Mountain half dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 05/07/2025 10:09 am
