flags are also placed at each of the Confederate headstones. The decorations are usually placed at the memorial and upon the Confederate gravestones by reenactors. Invited speakers address participants. A roll of honor is recited at the memorial, followed by a musket salute. Ceremony participants include descendants of the founding members of the Confederate Memorial Association. Significance The construction of the Confederate Memorial marked the beginning of an era of post-war revitalization for Hampshire County following the American Civil War. The memorial became a symbol of the county's restored confidence. The citizens of Hampshire County worked together to reestablish and rebuild the institutions, municipal buildings, and businesses destroyed during the war. The Confederate Memorial Association that constructed the monument was a part of a larger movement throughout the post-war American South, especially in Virginia, which sought to provide suitable interments for Confederate war dead. Historian Caroline E. Janney averred that these "Ladies' Memorial Associations" used "gender in the interest of Confederate politics", which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy belief. The memorial is among the first monuments erected to memorialize the Confederate dead in the United States. Romney's claim to have the first Confederate Memorial is disputed by Cheraw, South Carolina, as its monument was dedicated two months prior on July 26, 1867. However, the Cheraw memorial omits the mention of "Confederacy", "Confederate", or "Southern". Vandalism As part of the 2–4 June 2017 observance of Hampshire County Confederate Memorial Day and the 150th anniversary of the Confederate Memorial's construction, participants installed a tombstone, a Cross of Honor, and Confederate flags at the gravesite of African-American Alfred Whiting in nearby African-American Mount Pisgah Benevolence Cemetery. In addition, participants performed a ceremony and presentation on Whiting's Confederate service at his gravesite. However, Whiting's status as a Confederate veteran is a matter of debate among local historians. In August 2017, public debate over Confederate monuments and memorials was exacerbated by the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. While this debate was centered around the placement of Confederate monuments in public spaces, the Confederate Memorial in Romney is located on private land owned by the Indian Mound Cemetery Association Board of Directors. Between 16 and 17 September 2017, the Confederate Memorial was vandalized. The unknown perpetrators spray painted black graffiti on the monument and removed Confederate flags previously emplaced nearby the monument. Papers with vulgar language