Old Guard and the peace monument In 1857, the Gate City Guard, an
Atlanta-based
militia, was officially chartered. The group had first been formed in 1854 for the purpose of maintaining
law and order in Atlanta, which was nicknamed the "Gate City." During the
American Civil War, the militia provided troops for the
Confederate States Army, but was disbanded following the end of the war. However, the militia was reconstituted during the Reconstruction era as part of what would later become the
Georgia National Guard. Around the same time, the Old Guard Battalion of the Gate City Guard was formed, consisting of former Gate City Guard members who were too old to serve on
active duty. This group traveled extensively throughout the United States as part of a mission to improve reconciliation between
northern states and
southern states following the war. In 1910, as part of their ongoing efforts to promote reconciliation, the Old Guard decided to erect a monument in
Piedmont Park. Demonstrators in Atlanta, protesting the
white supremacist rally, had organized a march from
Woodruff Park to Piedmont Park. In 2019, the
Government of Georgia passed a law forbidding the
removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in Georgia. At the Peace Monument, two signs were placed near the monument, which, according to the
CEO of the Atlanta History Center, turn the monument from "an object of veneration into an artifact." As of 2019, the Gate City Guard continues to hold rededication ceremonies every October. == Design ==