The 27th annual Lee-Jackson Day observance in Lexington will once again feature ceremonies, a parade, a symposium and a luncheon program.
The events, sponsored by the Lee & Jackson Memorial Committee of the Stonewall Brigade, Sons of Confederate Veterans, 1296 of Lexington, will be held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17.
The purpose of the event is to commemorate the lives of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, both of whom are buried in Lexington.
Events will kick off with a cemetery tour at Jackson Circle at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. The Lee-Jackson Symposium will be that afternoon at the Virginia Horse Center mezzanine with doors opening at noon and the talks starting at 1.
Speakers and topics will include retired National Park Service historian Dennis E. Frye, “Invasion Masters: Lee & Jackson and the ‘Intended’ Pennsylvania Invasion”; Amanda Low Warren, “Five Things Historians Get Wrong About Leonidas Polk”; and Bill Potter, “The Stonewall Brigade’s Last Stand at Spotsylvania.”
A silent auction will also begin at noon and refreshments will be served by the Mary Anna Jackson Society, Friends of the SCV.
Memorial ceremonies will be held on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. at Jackson Circle in the city cemetery for a tribute to Stonewall Jackson. The Lee-Jackson Parade will follow at 11 a.m. from the cemetery through downtown Lexington. The parade will feature reenactors in Civil War uniforms and period attire.
At noon Saturday, the annual memorial program and address will be held at the Virginia Horse Center’s mezzanine, featuring a speech by Gib Kerr entitled “Un-Cancel Lee and Jackson.” Kerr graduated from Washington and Lee University with a bachelor of arts degree and from the University of Virginia with a master’s degree. He published a paperback book in 2024 entitled “Un-Cancel Robert E. Lee: An Open Letter to the Trustees of Washington and Lee University.”
A luncheon will follow for reserved guests. Following the luncheon, a memorial brick laying ceremony will be held at the Lee-Jackson Memorial Park in Fairfield, weather permitting.
All events are free and open to the public with the exception of the tours and luncheon where tickets may be purchased online at leejacksonpark.com.
