Statement on Confederate Monument Relocation

Published on October 23, 2020

The City of Huntsville, at the request of the Madison County Commission, is in the process of relocating the monument of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan from the Madison County Courthouse to a site near the Confederate burial section at Maple Hill Cemetery.

Madison County Commissioners have been working since June to find a lawful way to move the statue. Mayor Tommy Battle and the Huntsville City Council offered the City’s assistance to secure a suitable location and presented a historic area in the cemetery as an alternative where many Civil War soldiers are buried.

Commission Chair Dale Strong recently informed the City he believed the County had found a legal path forward to move the statue.

The City of Huntsville prepared a site for the monument and retained a contractor and crane operator to assist with the move.

“We started mobilizing overnight to make as much progress as possible before businesses opened in the morning and traffic resumed,” said City Administrator John Hamilton. “We hope to complete the move in one day, but our primary focus is on safely and securely moving the monument.”