Tappahannock in Essex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Essex County Confederate Monument
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, August 3, 2024
1. Essex County Confederate Monument
The statue originally at the top of the monument and the CSA battle flag tablets have been removed as of 2021. Note the rectangular staining in the upper portion above the existing tablet where the tablet with the battle flag used to be.
Erected to soldiers of Essex and those who fought with them. They fought for the principles of state sovereignty and in defense of their homes. To maintain these rights the gallant sons of this gallant county marched gladly to the front and did their duty like men, from the opening guns at First Manassas to the final chapter at Appomattox.
(supplemental plaque)
In 2021, portions of the original monument were removed in response to the various views regarding the Civil War and its impact on the community. For some, the Confederate battle flags and soldier were a reminder of slavery. For others, the original monument was a tribute to the soldiers of Essex County. This unanimous decision by the Tappahannock Town Council remembers the injustices of the past, the sacrifices of war and the importance of our history.
Erected 1906.
Topics. This monument and memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 37° 55.699′ N, 76° 51.602′ W. Monument is in Tappahannock, Virginia, in Essex County. It is on Prince Street 0.1 miles west of Cross Street, in the median. Touch for map. Monument is in this post office area: Tappahannock VA 22560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial monument is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least
this page online
More about this monument. Cornerstone laid June 28, 1906. Dedicated Aug. 28, 1909. On bronze plaques on all four sides of base are listed 770 names of officers and soldiers. The monument previously included a Confederate soldier statue at the top of the obelisk and a tablet with a Confederate Battle Flag on the east elevation. In 2021 the statue was removed as well as the tablet, and a new tablet contextualizing the modifications was placed on the base instead. The obelisk was re-topped with a point.
Also see . . .
1. Essex County Museum & Historical Society.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, August 3, 2024
2. On the base of the monument
Two tablets: the 2021 bronze tablet explaining the change to the monument, and the 1906 granite tablet with the original erection date for this monument.
2. Historical Walking Tour of Tappahannock. (Submitted on December 7, 2009.)
3. Tappahannock Historic District. National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on December 7, 2009.)
Additional commentary.
1. Changes to the Landscape
The CSA Monument has been re-topped with a point instead of the soldier statue, a new tablet has been added to the base contextualizing the changes, and the CSA Battle Flag tablets were taken off. The names of all the soldiers remain.
The cannon has been moved into the Essex County Museum. The Womens Club Veterans Memorial has been augmented by a brick courtyard around it.
— Submitted July 10, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
December 6, 2009
3. Essex County Confederate Monument
December 6, 2009
4. Essex County Confederate Monument
Company D 55th. Va. Regt.
Company F 55th. Va. Regt.
December 6, 2009
5. Essex County Confederate Monument
Company G 55th. Va. Regt.
Company K 55th. Va. Regt.
Company F 9th. Va. Cavalry
December 6, 2009
6. Essex County Confederate Monument
[Reserves]
December 6, 2009
7. View of the Monument Before the Statue was Removed
The monument was converted to an obelisk and the plaque showing the Confederate battle flag was removed.
December 6, 2009
8. Essex County Courthouse
This is an old view, from before the statue was removed and the plinth was re-topped.
December 6, 2009
9. Old Clerk's Office
Now Essex County Women's Club
December 6, 2009
10. Restored Civil War cannon
The cannon is a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle produced by Phoenix Iron Works, in Pennsylvania in 1864. It is registry number 826, weighing 816 pounds. In 1921 it was moved from the courthouse lawn to the Essex County Museum.
December 6, 2009
11. Essex County War Memorial
December 6, 2009
12. Tappahannock Historic District
Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2009. This page has been viewed 3,303 times since then and 76 times this year. Last updated on July 10, 2025. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 10, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on December 7, 2009.
