Confederate Soldiers and Sailors in Libby Hill Park

Monument to Confederate Soldiers and Sailors in Richmond’s Libby Hill Park in Church Hill.  

LOCATION: 29th Street and Libby Terrace.  

ARTIST: William Ludwell Sheppard.  

DEDICATION: May 30, 1894.  

DESCRIPTION: A bronze standing figure of a Confederate soldier 17 foot high, which stands atop a granite column 73 foot high, made of 13 stone cylinders to represent the 13 Confederate States. Granite column is topped by an ornate “Corinthian” capital. Modeled after Pompey’s Pillar in Egypt.  

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Libby Hill Park sits high on the hill above the James River on the southern edge of Richmond’s first neighborhood — Church Hill. This small but significant park has some of the best views of the city and the James, including the “View That Named the City.”  

The curve of the James River and steep slope of the hill at Libby Hill Park are very much like the features of the River Thames in England, at a royal village east of London called Richmond on the Thames. William Byrd II founded the town in 1737 and is credited with naming Richmond from this comparison of views.  

The Monument to Confederate Soldiers and Sailors is visible from many areas of town, including the Interstate 95 James River Bridge. That is significant to me, as travelers passing through Richmond get a quick glance at a majestic symbol of our history.