On October 9, 2009, the foundation which had already been poured, was given a final cleaning to prepare it for the coping that would secure the fence around the Soldiers Monument.

Shortly afterward, the coping was delivered and placed on the foundation. The spacing of the coping blocks had to be exact for the fence to fit. Many measurements were taken and string lines pulled to align the blocks.

The large coping block at the entrance into the monument where the gate would be installed had to be carefully adjusted with a large prybar after final measurements were taken.

A level was used to ensure that the blocks were not tilted. Small pieces of lead were placed under a block where needed to make them level and ready for the fence to be installed.

A string was used to align the coping blocks on the final side of the Soldiers Monument. After many hours of long work, the coping is now ready and awaiting the delivery of the fence.

On December 28, 2009, the ornate fencing was installed around the Soldiers Monument at Oakwood to restore it back to the way it looked in days gone by. The only thing about the fence that is cast-iron is the posts and the finials that attach to the top of the posts. The panels are made out of mild steel rods and flat bar. All bolts, nuts and washers used to make connections are stainless steel. There are 5/8" stainless steel threaded rods through and anchored to the granite blocks that the posts set on, the rods extending through the top of each post which anchors the post to the block with a nut welded on a piece flat bar inside of the finial. The threaded rods are easily visible in the photos below.

Starting with the front of the monument, sections of the fence were unloaded from the truck and placed around the monument. A heavy central post was placed between each fence section.

The gate into the Soldiers Monument was decorated with a beautiful greek pattern. It was placed between two posts and adjusted to an exact distance to allow the gate to swing freely.

Final adjustments were made to the gate to tighten the posts and attach them to the fence sections on either side. The large coping block under the gate is inscribed with the words "1861   Deo Vindice   1865". The finials will be installed after all adjustments have been made to the fence.

A hammer drill was used to drill holes into the concrete foundation to secure the extended rods in the center of each fence section into the concrete. A portable generator was used to supply the power for the hammer drill.

The final corner post was the most trying and took several people holding and pulling on the two fence sections to help it go into place. The entire fencing project had been measured so exactly by Chairman Lee Hart and Fred from Colonial Iron Works, that only minor adjustments needed to be made to the fence. A huge adjustable wrench was used to fine tune the connector joints.

A few more adjustments were made to the gate by Chairman Lee Hart. A protective anti-corrosion type grease was applied by brush to each threaded casement rod. The finials, which were numbered to help match them back to the post that they were cut from, were then screwed into place. Each person in our work party got a chance to help with the installation of the finials. Cmdr. Kelly Barrow, Army of Tennessee, had the honor of installing the final finial, with the help of his daughter Georgianah and his wife Cassie.

We finished just before the sun set so we took a photo from both sides of the monument. The final photo is the sun setting behind the Soldiers Monument at Oakwood. I would like to thank everyone for their dedication and hard work, especially the gentlemen from Colonial Iron Works, Chairman Lee Hart, and the Oakwood Restoration Committee. ~ John Sawyer, Commander, Virginia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans.

(L-R) Joe Wright, Kelly, Georgianah, & Cassie Barrow, Mike Pullen, John Sawyer, Frank Earnest,
Lee Hart, Roy Pope, Grayson Jennings, Fred (Colonial Iron Works), Tom Davis