Near Carrsville in Isle of Wight County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Isle of Wight County Monument to Confederate Dead
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 21, 2026
1. Isle of Wight County Monument to Confederate Dead Marker
In 1900 the Isle of Wight Monument and Memorial Association was formed by R. Lee Seward, J.R. Jordan, N.F. Young, R.E. Boykin, and C.J. Bradshaw for the purpose of erecting a monument to the county's soldiers who left for war and never returned. Through their efforts, on May 30, 1905, this monument was dedicated in front of the original county Court House. For 116 years it remained at the Court House, in a solemn location where families could mourn their fallen heroes.
By 2020, historical monuments and memorials on public land were allowed to be vandalized and destroyed in many localities. It was decided by those who wanted to protect this monument that it should be taken out of government ownership and control.
The monument was disassembled and moved from the county Court House to this private land on May 8, 2021. It was here reassembled on August 26, 2021, and a rededication ceremony was held on November 6, 2021. The Ise of Wight Monument and Memorial Association was similarly reinstated and now owns, preserves, protects, and controls the monument.
"This marker was provided through the generous support of the Society of the Order of the Southern Cross."
Erected by Isle
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 36° 45.628′ N, 76° 51.545′ W. Marker is near Carrsville, Virginia, in Isle of Wight County. It is on Walters Highway (U.S. 258) 0.2 miles south of Burdette Road (Virginia Route 619), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 28436 Walters Highway, Carrsville VA 23315, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 8 other markers are within
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 21, 2026
2. Isle of Wight County Monument to Confederate Dead Marker
More about this marker. The marker uses loaded language. Particularly notable are its prescriptions of the reason the monument was relocated and the facts surrounding events in 2020. Some points of clarification:
Historical monuments were not universally "allowed to be vandalized and destroyed" in 2020; in fact, vandalism was not "allowed" as a matter of law (many caught in the act were charged), and the monuments targeted by the 2020 backlash were typically Lost Cause monuments that whitewash the historical causes of the Civil War and the principles of the Confederacy. Other monuments vandalized in 2020 included slaveowners and colonizers
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 21, 2026
3. Isle of Wight County Monument to Confederate Dead
The monument does not simply memorialize the dead. If one inspects the actual inscription of the monument, it suggests all county Confederate sacrifice was for defense of land and family (Virginia secession was, per its secession ordinance, due to "the oppression of the Southern slaveholding States."). Another phrase, "There is a true glory and a true honor: the glory of duty done the honor of the integrity of principle." is a classic example of Lost Cause use of vague terms like "principle" to hide Virginia's violent defense of slavery.
The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors voted to remove the monument based on its divisiveness and symbolism, not for its protection. Nor was the decision to transfer it to private ownership the control of the recipients. State law required that bids be solicited for the monument's relocation. Only one bid was received - that of Volpe Boykin, whose land the monument was moved to. Attributing a protective desire to the county government is flawed. In fact, the county wanted to move it to Windsor Cemetery, but the cemetery did not want it, and so it went to the next alternative.
The county Court House never has been, and never will be, a "solemn location" for "mourning." Court Houses are places of legal business and administrative function, and historically their surroundings are places of lively community activity - some good, some bad - but not spontaneous, ongoing public mourning. It was a celebratory location intended to institutionalize the Confederacy in southern rural communities during the Jim Crow era.
The language of the marker is not an accurate representation of the move's context and should be considered by the reader/visitor with its inherent lingual bias in mind.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. It is the entry for the monument itself, at its former location.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 5, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 25 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 5, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
