City votes to remove Madison confederate monuments

Two confederate memorials at a Madison cemetery will be removed permanently.

The Madison Common Council voted Tuesday night to remove the two memorials at Forest Hill Cemetery. The monuments will be offered to the Wisconsin Historical Society or the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. If both groups do not want the memorials, they will be put in storage.

The two memorials were located at an area at Forest Hill Cemetery called Confederate Rest. 140 Confederate soldiers that died while being held prisoner at Camp Randall are buried at the cemetery. A small monument just outside the burial section described the men as "valiant" soldiers, while a larger monument is inscribed with the names of the deceased.

A Landmark Commission's decision in March recommended removing the small plaque and keep the larger monument in place, while adding an interpretive display.