On several occasions here on CCF, I've cautioned against accepting information as "the truth" until verifying it with multiple independent references (or accessing it from a trustworthy source that has done so). The internet has made it easy for inaccurate information to proliferate and mislead those reading it. But the need to verify information presented is not something born in the internet age. It has existed for as long as information has been shared - verbally, in print or digitally.
For example...
In late 1933, an uncredited syndicated piece appeared in dozens of newspapers across the United States ("US") titled "Memorial to Valor of Soldiers of the South." It was clearly not run through a "fact check" process as it contains multiple factual errors.
Things start off badly. The very first sentence of the piece includes a major factual error, it stated:
"The United States half dollar bearing the pictures of Grant and Lee..."General Ulysses S. Grant was no where to be found on the Stone Mountain Memorial half dollar. The obverse depicts Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson on horseback. Did the author not understand that Grant was a Union officer vs. a Confederate officer?
The article also stated that Augustus Lukeman completed the Memorial in 1928, and that it was unveiled and dedicated on April 9, 1928. This statement is based on actual occurrences, but is misleading. Lukeman did not complete the full Memorial in 1928, he completed the carving of the head of Robert E. Lee at that time; it was officially unveiled and dedicated in April 1928. Work on the Memorial was stopped in 1928, however, due to a lack of funds; it began again in 1964 when the State of Georgia stepped in, and was completed in 1972. Its official dedication took place in May 1970 (before work was completed).
Of course an article written/published in 1933 could not be aware of events that would take place decades later in the 1960s and 1970s, but it should have presented prior events more accurately.
Another misleading aspect of the article was its reference to the Memorial's sponsor - the Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association - requesting 15 million half dollars. I'm not sure where this figure originated. I've read multiple sources that referenced an Association request for 5 million coins - 1/3 the amount stated in the article. The Association's request was met in the coin's authorizing legislation as it specified 5 million coins vs. 15 million.
If the article that contained these inaccuracies was the only information source consulted, a reader might not suspect any issues. That's why it's always best to consult multiple independent reference sources - not just the same source repeated on multiple web sites - before believing one "knows" the topic.
[/Soapbox]
1925 Stone Mountain Memorial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Stone Mountain stories, see:
Commems Collection
Posted Today 2H 42M ago
