Located at the convergence of 2nd and 3rd Streets in Louisville, the largest of Kentucky's Civil War monuments was erected by the Kentucky Women's Confederate Monument Association in 1895. Led by Susan P. Hepburn of Louisville, the organization raised $12,000 to construct this 70-foot-tall monument. It is located on the northwest edge of the University of Louisville campus, near what later became the site of the J. B. Speed Art Museum.

Four tiered granite steps support the main pedestal, which is topped by a 95-inch-tall bronze figure of an infantryman holding a rifle down in front of him with both hands. Smaller pedestals on the east and west sides support life-sized bronze figures. The east figure is an artilleryman holding a ramrod; the west figure is a cavalryman drawing a sword. The figures were created by Ferdinand von Miller, an internationally-known German sculptor, and multiple casts were sold through monument companies (Raleigh, North Carolina has one), a typical practice. Additional decorative details include cannon balls in relief, crossed swords, and the seal of the Confederate States of America.

The monument nearly didn't survive to our time, and it is threatened even now. Public opposition prevented its removal as a traffic hazard in the 1920s and 1940s, though the original 48-foot diameter circle was reduced in size, and the lighting removed in the 1950s. More recently, many calls for its removal have come as the monument is "politically incorrect" for our times. Ornamental trees have been planted near the base of the monument to somewhat obscure its message.

Inscriptions:

• North Face of Pedestal: Our Confederate Dead 1861-1865
  
• South Face of Pedestal: Tribute to the rank and file of the armies of the south by the Ky. Women's Confederate Monument Association
  
• East and West, above figures: C. S. A.
  

Related Articles:

• Historical Article: Corner-Stone Dedication Ceremony (May 6, 1895)
  
• Activists Renew Call to Remove Monument (PDF) (February 22, 2005)
  
• Lt. Commander Hayes' Response to Rev. Coleman (February 28, 2005)