A New Location for Sir Moses Ezekiel and His Monument?

Following The Cadet article covering the potential removal of the Sir Moses Ezekiel Civil War monument from Arlington National Cemetery, The Cadet posted an informal survey to gather opinions from the Corps and Alumni as two of the main stakeholders in the issue. Although the number of responses, given the population size of both the alumni community and the Corps, requires more respondents to obtain a final validity, responses to date reflect consistency in support for preserving the monument. To date, the survey received responses from current cadets in the Classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Alumni responses ranged from the classes of 1958 to 2010. The main difference between the alumni and Cadet comment responses is that most alumni allowed attribution of their comments to them while all Cadets allowed their comments to be printed but requested non-attribution. This is concerning as Cadets do not feel comfortable identifying themselves and their opinions, given the current environment at the Insitute, for various reasons; however, it does not diminish the impact of Cadets' propensity to engage in difficult topics and the validity of their input in modern issues. Based on the initial results, the majority of those responding (59.52%) supported relocating the monument to the Virginia Museum of the Civil War at New Market. Many advocated for leaving the monument at its current location in Arlington National Cemetery (38.09%). The remaining 2.39% proposed alternate locations for the statue including VMI and Antietam/Sharpsburg, MD. The question of what should become of Sir Moses' remains, buried at the base of the monument with others, took into account the issue originally raised by Governor Youngkin in his interview on WRVA radio. Jewish law forbids the transfer of a body, remnant bones from one grave to another, even when it is to a more respected site. The only exception to this prohibition is if the deceased is to be reinterred alongside his parents or close relatives. There may also be an exception if a grave is in danger of water seepage or if it is not safe against robbers, etc., but that would not seem to apply in this case. Respectful of Sir Moses' Jewish traditions, 62.79% of those responding supported maintaining his remains in Arlington; 13.95% favored moving them to New Market with the monument; 9.30% supported placing Sir Moses by his fellow New Market Cadets at VMI, and 13.95% deferred opinion to Sir Moses' family. Of the Cadets and alumni who agreed to allow their comments to be printed, all were well-thought and devoid of the emotionalism and divisiveness that typically categorizes similar issues of other Civil War Monuments in Virginia. This is a testament to the VMI spirit of open discourse and transparency even on the toughest of issues. Many of these Cadets both past and present, reference the contextualization of the statue and its meaning as a symbol of reconciliation and reunification rather than a monument to a lost cause. It is within Cadets' and Alumni's show of character and resulting civil discourse that VMI finds its strength, hopefully an example that the United States at large can follow as they have followed many great alumni in the past. A sample of the comments The Cadet received include: "There can be no higher honor bestowed now than to be re-united with his contemporaneous alumni at the Institute which would match the duty and honor that he showed in life." - David Ralph '77 You may use my comments and attribute them to me "I believe that should the powers that be deem it necessary to remove this piece of history that it should be given as an option to VMI to honor one of its most prestigious Alumni by displaying another one of his works on our campus." - Cadet, Class of '24 "I've visited Cadet Moses' grave and memorial multiple times while paying my respects on Veterans Day. The story the monument tells of the South beating its swords into tools and coming back into the Union is essential to understanding our country's history. Seeing Confederate and Union soldiers buried side by side in the shadow of this monument I believe encapsulates the tragedy of the war, the need for reconciliation, and ability that exists for this country and come back together after such a terrible slice of our collective history." - Brant Priest '07 "Leave both his remains and statue in Arlington as is. Feel free to incorporate additional text at the site to elaborate on other aspects of his history." –George Mayforth '82 "It would be a disgrace for the Federal Government to move this monument or the remains but if they follow through with the plan, the monument should be at New Market Battlefield (1st choice) or on Post at VMI and the remains would accompany the monument if they are to be moved." – Robert Luther Jr. '73 "He has rested in peace for all of these years and he and his statue deserve to be left alone." – James Bartley '72 "History is history and we should not be changing history after the fact. If we are going to change history (like moving T.J. Jackson's statue from in front of VMI barracks) then why study history or even propose a more contemporary person for being 'immortalized" with a statue or naming a bridge or road after them? Either we honor those of our past or quit honoring anyone in the future." – John Hart '68 "Do not bother him!" - Fletcher Thompson '10 "The Sir Moses Ezekiel Memorial should not, under any circumstances, be moved anywhere. Shame on the United States of America if it is moved for any reason." - Donald Cameron Seay '70 "It's a disgrace that Ezekiel's masterpiece is threatened by federal authorities, but it must be saved." – Stephen Price '71 "The American Civil War ended in 1865. Those men, including Sir Moses Ezekiel, deserve to rest in peace. Leave them rest where they lay." - Clinton Anderson '74 "Why would we dig up his remains and move a statue? Based on the article by The Cadet newspaper there are statues for different wars all through the cemetery. You cannot erase the history of the Civil War. It existed, it happened and was bloody and terrible but put up monuments to remember our mistakes as well as our victories. Why violate his grave to move the remains? The Hebrews would pile up rocks as markers of remembrance. Leave the statues alone." – Matthew Hart '99 "He was an incredible man with an incredible insight. His life experiences especially during the Civil War gave him a perspective that few people today could ever understand. His professional accomplishments are world renown and he brought great credit to the Institute." – Chalmers Glenn '80 "I believe the monument/memorial at Arlington should be left where it is. It was commissioned by the US Congress as a memorial to a very difficult time in our collective history. I find the current trend toward destroying or even relocating memorials to be very troubling and frankly un-American. The trend has, at its core, a basis in the philosophy of Karl Marx, and the desire to compartmentalize, classify, and pigeonhole groups of Americans or periods of American History based on the narrow context of the views of a part of the national leadership here in the 21st Century is wrong in so many ways, and on so many fronts. This modern approach to relocating memorials is, in and of itself divisive and un-American. We collectively must accept the horrors of the American Civil War while also acknowledging that brave Americans, including Sir Moses Ezekiel, took up arms in conflicting causes which they, in their own space in time, deemed to be honorable, justifiable, and just for their own reasons. If the Federal Government is adamant in its desire to remove the Memorial, and after all avenues of appeal through the Federal Courts have been exhausted, then I urge Gov. Glenn Youngkin to graciously accept the Memorial on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia and to arrange for its display in a place of honor at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, where Ezekiel bravely fought as a VMI Cadet during the Battle of New Market. As to this disposition of Ezekiel's remains, they should stay with the memorial as it was his Opus Magnum, and keeping his remains with the Memorial would be a fitting tribute to his life." - Honorable Bob Kirby '78 "Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones." - Private, Delta Company '88 "The monument was authorized by the US Congress, and it should take another act of Congress to authorize moving it. I was a distinguished military graduate, spent 6.5 years in the Regular Army, including a year in Vietnam, and I see no need to further try to erase history in this manner." - Josef Prall '62 Overall, the initial results indicate a preference for Sir Moses Ezekiel and the monument to remain in Alexandria, but re-locating it to the Virginia Museum of the Civil War is seen as a reasonable compromise. All those responding strongly opposed destroying the monument. The Cadet is continuing the survey and expanding the target survey population to include the community of New Market itself. As a key stakeholder if the monument were to be moved there, the opinions of New Market residents is an important consideration.