The U.S. Army has finalized plans to return the Confederate Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery in 2027, advancing the Trump administration’s effort to restore the monument after it was dismantled and removed in December 2023. The Office of Army Cemeteries submitted its final design proposal to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in October, outlining plans for the memorial’s restoration and reinstallation.

The 32-foot bronze monument was created by Moses Ezekiel, a Confederate veteran and sculptor, and commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was unveiled in 1914 during a ceremony attended by President Woodrow Wilson. The memorial stands in a section of Arlington where more than 400 Confederate soldiers were reinterred during the early 20th century.

The monument’s removal in 2023 followed a congressional mandate directing the military to remove monuments, names, and other symbols honoring the Confederacy from Defense Department property. Its planned return reflects a reversal of that decision under the Trump administration, reigniting debate over how the nation should preserve and interpret its Civil War history.

Supporters of restoring the memorial argue that historic monuments should be preserved to help Americans understand the nation’s past. Critics, however, contend that the sculpture romanticized the Confederacy and portrayed a sanitized version of the antebellum South, including its relationship with slavery.

The Army plans to conduct conservation and refurbishment work before reinstalling the sculpture in Section 16, near Ezekiel’s burial site. Officials also intend to provide interpretive materials explaining the memorial’s history and symbolism, allowing visitors to learn about its creation and the broader controversies surrounding Confederate monuments.

The restored memorial is expected to return to public view in 2027, nearly four years after its removal.