The statue of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston that has stood in downtown Dalton at the intersection of Hamilton and Crawford Streets was removed in the early morning hours Saturday to be relocated to the Huff House near downtown. The Huff House, located on Selvidge Street, is home to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and served as General Johnston’s headquarters during the Civil War.
The statue of General Johnston is the property of the United Daughters of the Confederacy which commissioned it and placed it downtown in 1912. That group made the decision to have the statue moved from downtown to its new home. Money from private donors was used to fund the move and no taxpayer money was used for the project.
The decision to move the statue during the early morning hours was made to minimize disruption of traffic downtown.
This was not an action of the City of Dalton. There was never a vote by the mayor and council on this issue and this issue never appeared on any city agenda. This was a private decision by the UDC which owns the statue.