The Confederate Memorial Task Force, composed of preservationists, historians, and administrators of local monument and marker programs, was convened in October 2017 to provide simple and sensible recommendations to City Council that address ways to make the Forsyth Park Confederate Memorial more representative of Savannah's community while also preserving Savannah's unique history.  The Task Force's methodology included historical research, observational fieldwork, and public survey/comment. Task Force members explored a range of options from complete removal to leaving the memorial as is, weighing the pros and cons of each option.

In regards to the Forsyth Park Confederate Memorial, the Confederate Memorial Task Force recommends the following:

1. Rename from "Confederate Monument" to "Civil War Memorial"
2. Preserve all historical material on the memorial
3. Install a new bronze plaque on the blank horizontal panel on the south side of hte memorial with this text: "This memorial was originally erected in 1875 to the Confederate dead, redesigned in 1879, and rededicated in 2018 to all the dead of the American Civil War."
4. Do not alter the blank vertical panel on the south side of the memorial
5. Relocate the McLaws and Bartow monuments to Laurel Grove North Cemetery
6. Do not replace the McLaws and Bartow monuments at the memorial site
7. Preserve the fence around the memorial in the current elliptical shape
8. The community expands the story of the Civil War, its causes, and its effects throughout Savannah, other than at the Forsyth Park Confederate Memorial site

Approval