The Trump administration has removed language criticizing the Confederate Memorial from a sign at Arlington National Cemetery, replacing it with a new marker as the Army prepares to return the monument to the cemetery in 2027.

The Washington Post reported Monday that officials removed language describing the 32-foot bronze Confederate Memorial as presenting a “mythologized” vision of the Confederacy and “sanitized” depictions of slavery. Similar historical descriptions previously posted on the Defense Department’s website have also been removed, according to the newspaper’s comparison of archived and current versions of the site.

The Confederate Memorial, designed by sculptor Moses Ezekiel and commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, was dedicated at Arlington in 1914. The Army removed the monument in late 2023 after Congress directed the military to remove symbols and commemorations honoring the Confederacy. The Naming Commission had recommended its removal.

The monument depicts Confederate soldiers and civilians and includes representations of Black people in roles that critics have described as stereotypical portrayals of slavery. Previous interpretive material at Arlington provided visitors with historical context about the sculpture, including its depiction of slavery and the “Lost Cause” interpretation of the Civil War.

That language is no longer included on the new marker. Instead, the new sign states that the Army expects to display the sculpture at its former location in 2027 after it undergoes comprehensive conservation and refurbishment. Arlington National Cemetery’s current website likewise says the Army expects to display the sculpture in Section 16 in 2027 and is developing new interpretive content for the site.

The Trump administration has defended restoring Confederate-related monuments and symbols as part of an effort to preserve what it describes as American history. Then-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in August 2025 that the Confederate Memorial would be returned to Arlington, saying the administration did not believe in “erasing American history.” The Army subsequently moved forward with plans to restore and return the sculpture.

The planned return has drawn opposition from members of the commission that recommended the monument’s removal. Retired Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, a former vice chairman of the Naming Commission, criticized both the monument’s return and the removal of the previous historical language. Historian Stephen West of Catholic University also criticized the changes, arguing that the earlier material accurately described the monument’s treatment of slavery and the Confederacy.

The Army has said its new interpretive material will provide visitors with historical context when the monument returns. Arlington National Cemetery currently describes the memorial as part of the “complex and contested legacy of the Civil War” and says its future interpretation will address the history of slavery, the Civil War and race in America.

The Confederate Memorial remains in storage while conservation and refurbishment work proceeds. The Army expects to put the sculpture back on display at Arlington National Cemetery in 2027.