Programme of Ceremonies: Unveiling of Statue Gen'l Robert E. Lee

The interior pages of the program from the unveiling of the Robert E. Lee monument.

A historical sketch called Ceremonies Connected with the Unveiling of the Statue of General Robert E. Lee describes the scene of the unveiling. It outlines the thousands of people in attendance, including the daughters of Lee and Jefferson Davis. The sketch also reveals that the ceremony was disturbed by a storm on February 22, 1884 that prevented the ceremony from proceeding as planned. In response, Hon. Chas. E. Fenner’s speech was published instead of spoken due to inclement weather. The sketch closes with a statement by New Orleans Mayor William J. Behan: “[Lee’s] deeds are his monument, and they will survive and continue in remembrance long after this marble shall have crumbled into dust; his great example will outlive the brush of the painter and the chisel of the sculptor, for great examples are indeed imperishable."

For the full text of Ceremonies Connected with the Unveiling of the Statue of General Robert E. Lee see, http://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.27470811.