Description:
Rising nearly twenty-five feet, this monument depicts a marble sculpture of the Confederate Common Soldier, mounted atop a tall tapered column. The uniformed soldier stands at parade rest, holding the barrel of his rifle with both hands. It commemorates the fact that Rutherford County sent some 1,734 men to fight in the Civil War. The county also experienced some destruction, particularly in Rutherfordton, during the Union campaign known as Stoneman's Raid. Its address of welcome involved the speeches of two future Governors to an audience of 6000-7000.
