New Orleans Great Confederate Monument Debate

Neutral ground, N. Jefferson Davis Parkway, New Orleans, LA

Maybe you know something about this, maybe you don't.  It's in all the papers down here but of how much interest this is to the rest of the country, I have no idea.  Unlike our guests, I'm not one prone to travel.

After the shooting in South Carolina a few months ago, the Mayor of New Orleans proposed removing three prominent statues of Confederate heroes and one monument to a white supremacist coup during the Reconstruction Era.  I'm not going to dwell on those since you can look up the debate yourself if you're inclined.  I'll just tell you that the statues in question are of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, P.G.T. Beauregard, and an obelisk that commemorates the Battle of Liberty Place.

There are plenty of other C.S.A. commemorative monuments scattered around the city, and I want to talk about the one dedicated to the memory of Charles Didier Dreux.

The great man himself

As far as I can tell, he had both of his arms in life.  There isn't a lot of information about Charles Didier Dreux.  There isn't a Wikipedia page dedicated to his life.  There's no shame in that.  Neither Frau Schmitt nor your humble narrator rate a Wikipedia entry, yet.

A close up

The most interesting and informative article I could find was here.  It's written by Ned Hémard, whose writing style is as loosely rambling between tangents as your humble narrator's.  I found it interesting, especially the first part which had nothing to do with Charles Didier Dreux.  YMMV.  I have to admit, the digression into tumuli was a bit distracting but I wouldn't change a word if I could.

The article states that Charles Didier Dreux was descended from Robert the Great, the Comte de Dreux, fifth son of King Louis VI of France.  I already knew that.  How?  It's on the back side of the pedestal on Jeff Davis Highway.

Noble lineage

Charles Didier Dreux was the first Confederate officer to be killed in battle during the Civil War.  That's commemorated, too, on the front side of the pedestal.

Nobler, braver, never lived

I don't know enough about the man to comment on those last lines. I do find it interesting that his last words are engraved in marble to last forever.  "Boys Steady."

Charles Didier Dreux's last words

The Dreux name (pronounced 'drew' if you didn't know that) is common in and around New Orleans to this day.  I know somebody named Dreux Blank---I'm not kidding.  His last name, his family name, maybe I should say his patronymic, was originally Blanc, as he'll be happy to tell you, until it was Anglicized to Blank.

Then, there's always Drew Brees.

An Anglicized first name?

If Drew Brees wants to become more popular in New Orleans than he already is, he'll change the spelling of his name to Dreux.  That's the only way it would be possible.  Some people think it's inevitable.  I'm in a pool.

There haven't been any calls to remove the Charles Didier Dreux statue yet.  There are a couple of other Confederate memorials in the Jeff Davis Parkway neutral ground, too.  The Albert Pike one is a real doozy.  There are a couple of others scattered in other parts of the city.  I'll be happy to tell you how to get to them if you are interested.  For that, though, you have to stay with us.  It will give us something to talk about over breakfast.

The P.G.T. Beauregard statue is at the end of Esplanade Avenue in front of City Park.  It's a very impressive equestrian model planted in the middle of Beauregard Circle.  I don't have strong opinions over removing it.  My main concern is what would replace it.

In our next installment, I'll show the statues that are on Poydras Street.  Given the choice, I think I would prefer Gen. Beauregard.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade ---Where the rest comes easy! (TM)