Civil War monument threatened by deterioration

The Civil War monument on the courthouse grounds in Washington, Virginia, shows serious deterioration. The names of 117 Rappahannock men who fought in the Confederate army, etched on monument, are eroding away. Sculpted by Herbert Barbee, the monument stands 24 feet high. Originally it was topped with cast metal rifles of Civil War type, which later were removed or fell off. Two of these are preserved at the Rappahannock County Historical Society.
Photo by Richard Lykes.

by James P. Gannon, Fall 2005

The Civil War monument, erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy on the grounds of the Rappahannock County courthouse in Washington, is deteriorating so badly that in a few years it may be beyond repair, an expert on monument restoration has advised RLEP officials. The exact date the monument was erected is not recorded, but related documents indicate it was around 1890-1900.

RLEP consulted with Reed Engle, a cultural resource specialist at Shenandoah National Park, to get his opinion in connection with the courthouse grounds beautification project undertaken by the League and other civic groups. Engle's written appraisal of the current condition of the monument turned out much more alarming than expected-pointing to the need for a major restoration project, not just a cosmetic cleanup.

Engle, a National Park Service specialist who has overseen monument restoration at several NPS sites—including Gettysburg National Battlefield—summed up his findings this way: "I cannot stress enough that the monument is at a crossroads. Within a decade the brownstone, and some of the marble, may be too far decayed for conservation or restoration."


Inscription detail. Photo by James P. Gannon.

The problems are many. Acid rain is eating away at the marble column and the bas-relief faces of General Robert E. Lee and other Confederate heroes and eroding the etched names of the 117 Rappahannock men who fought in the war. The brownstone base "exhibits minor to severe decay," Engle reported. The soft brownstone is "sugaring," or granulating-literally crumbling away. Several "stress fractures" and "structural shear cracks" are evident in the marble.

"The monument is threatened because of the vulnerability of the original materials to acid rain and by previous inappropriate maintenance," according to Engle. In past repair efforts, a Portland cement mortar was used, which worsened conditions. Mortar should be softer than the stone it binds, but cement mortar sets harder than the stone in the monument, causing cracking in the stones themselves during freezing and thawing cycles. "In every location in which the monument has been repointed with Portland, the marble tablets or stones had dislodged, cracked, or spalled," the report said.


	Names of Civil War battles are carved on four sides of the sandstone base: Manassas, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Chancellorsville (above). The marble is cracking and blackening, and images like this one of Col. John S. Mosby are slowly fading. Photo by James P. Gannon.

This highlights the importance of avoiding amateur "fixes" to the monument. Engle strongly recommended hiring a professional conservation firm to evaluate the monument and recommend a course of action. Such an examination and report might cost $3,000 to $5,000, he estimated, and the actual restoration work would cost much more. He strongly recommended against a cosmetic "cleanup" by local groups, which might provide a "quick visual fix" by removing dirt and lichens, but would open the stone surfaces to accelerated exposure to acid-rain decay and winter freeze-thaw damage, in his view.

Engle's appraisal, which he volunteered to do at no cost on his own time, is much appreciated by RLEP but presents a daunting challenge to the community. Funds raised by the League for the courthouse grounds project are far short of the need for any restoration. Restoration grants might be possible but are usually given on a matching basis.

The situation presents Rappahannock County and its people with a challenging question: Is our history worth saving?

Read more about the Washinton Courthouse grounds project:

Return to Programs and Initiatives