Due to its presence on the Mississippi River, Hickman was placed at a strategic point, and was held by both sides during the American Civil War. It was strongly pro-Confederate during the war, but after the Confederates lost control of the county in 1862, it saw occasional raids by Confederate cavalry.[2][3]
Description
The Memorial Gateway was designed by Sir Moses Ezekiel, and built by the NcNeal Marble Company of Marietta, Georgia. It took ten years and $10,000 (equivalent to $296,000 in 2022} to construct the granite structure.[2] The back is solid granite and the front has ornamentation. The names of seventy Confederate soldiers are carved on the hoods of the structure. It has a center opening for vehicles, and two side openings for pedestrians. The inscription on its capstone reads: "1861 Our Heroes 1865". Due to its size and how long after the war it was built, it was meant more to celebrate the Confederate States of America instead of mourning it, even though it was built in a cemetery.[4]
