October 15, 2024

Why a Confederate monument endures in majority-black Port Gibson, Claiborne County

Many Confederate monuments have not survived the wave of hatred that has swept over many people. There are Confederate symbols that are scattered all across the state of Mississippi. There are plenty of statues and buildings and roads that were a part of the Confederacy. January, 1861 is the year that Mississippi seceded from the union.

Key Takeaways:

  • PORT GIBSON, Miss. — Confederate symbols are scattered across Mississippi in the form of statues, buildings, roads, and of course the state flag. While the University of Mississippi has recently announced an effort to contextualize its own Confederate symbols, other parts of the state have declined to grapple with the monuments in their midsts.
  • In the county seat, Port Gibson, a statue of a Confederate soldier stands in front of the courthouse. Inscribed on the based of the 20-foot statue are “C.S.A.,” the abbreviation for the Confederate States of America, and “Claiborne County’s Tribute to Her Sons Who Served in the War of 1861-65
  • The Port Gibson monument was dedicated in 1906 and erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy of Claiborne County. The monument also features a portrait of Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn, a Port Gibson native.

“But, although similar monuments have been lightning rods in some Southern cities, as far as county and city officials and residents here are concerned, the monument doesn’t seem to bother anyone all that much.”