[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n one of those ironic twists of history, a monument erected to honor Confederate troops who fought at the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg somehow now bears the name of a Union general—the victor of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, no less! Known today as “Meade’s Pyramid,” the 23-foot-tall structure—built of 17 tons of stacked granite—was erected in 1897 by the Confederate Memorial Literary Society to mark where Stonewall Jackson’s troops foiled Maj. Gen. George Meade’s breakthrough on the Confederate right on December 13. As the 20th century approached, the society had asked Virginia railroad executives to erect “signs” at historic locations across the state. The president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad decided instead to erect a smaller version of the 90-foot-tall stone pyramid honoring Confederate dead placed in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery in 1869. One plus: Since it’s come to be known as Meade’s Pyramid, it’s unlikely this “Confederate” monument will be slated for removal anytime soon.
