In June of 1900, the United States Congress authorized a section of Arlington National Cemetery to be set aside for the burial of Confederate dead. The plot is the final resting place of 397 soldiers, 58 wives, 15 southern civilians, and 12 unknowns.

The 32-foot monument was approved by Secretary Of War William Howard Taft at the request of The United Daughters of the Confederacy on March 4, 1906. The cornerstone was laid on November 12, 1912 and the opening ceremony occurred two years later on June 4, 1914.

The statue is the largest within Arlington National Cemetery and her many friezes and inscriptions include 4 cinerary urns, 14 coats of arms, 6 vignettes, and half a dozen symbolic figures representing branches of Confederate service.

The massive statue was sculpted by Confederate veteran/sculptor Moses Ezekial. Moses Ezekial always considered the Confederate Memorial his greatest achievement and asked for his final resting place to be at its base. He is buried there with three other officers of the Civil War.

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