The Pentagon has removed language critical of a Confederate memorial that was formerly located at Arlington National Cemetery, following its removal in 2023. The 32-foot bronze statue, commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and unveiled in 1914, was taken down as part of a congressional mandate aimed at eliminating Confederate names and symbols from U.S. military property.

The statue’s removal was guided by a bipartisan Naming Commission that responded to longstanding criticism over the memorial’s imagery. The sculpture portrayed an enslaved woman carrying the infant child of a white officer and an enslaved man following his owner into battle, depictions that have been widely challenged for presenting a sanitized, nostalgic view of the Confederacy and slavery.

Prior to the statue’s removal, both a Defense Department website and an on-site marker provided context about the memorial’s symbolism. This included descriptions of the two Black figures as enslaved individuals, with the woman depicted as a “Mammy” figure, and commentary on how such imagery contributed to a romanticized "Lost Cause" narrative of the South’s secession. The website noted that this narrative glossed over the realities of slavery and had fueled opposition to Reconstruction-era civil rights advancements.

In recent weeks, however, the Defense Department removed this critical language from its website. Additionally, a new on-site sign has replaced the original marker near the statue’s former location, omitting references that described slavery and the Confederacy in negative terms. Photographs and archived versions of the webpage confirm these changes.

When asked about the revisions, the Defense Department directed inquiries to Arlington National Cemetery, which did not provide a response as of Monday.

The adjustments occur amid ongoing debates about how Confederate symbols and their legacies are represented on federal lands. Supporters of the original contextual language argue it is necessary to acknowledge the historical realities of slavery and the harmful mythologies surrounding the Confederacy, while critics say such language politicizes military memorials and detracts from honoring service members.