The monument was designed by Frank Teich, who in 1896 was made an honorary member of Dallas Chapter, No.
6 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
The cornerstone was dedicated by the UDC Dallas chapter on June 25, 1896.
The dedication of the monument on April 29, 1897 was attended by thousands, with hundreds of Confederate veterans, including Colonel William Lyne Crawford and Texas governor Charles Allen Culberson.
There were also Masons, Knights Templar, Free Thinkers and German Turners.
The Galveston Daily noted that a black woman threw granite at a carriage on the way, but she was dismissed as "insane."

The dedication of both the cornerstone and the monument itself took place during Katie Doswell Cabell's first of two terms (25 May 1896–17 Dec 1897 and 17 Oct 1921–19 Oct 1922) as president of the Texas Division of the UDC.
Her position in that office at that time may account for the inclusion of the marble bas relief roundel portrait bust of her father, William Lewis Cabell, on the south side of the monument base.
W.L. Cabell served three two-year terms as mayor of Dallas (1874–1876, 1877–1879 and 1883–1885).
A Confederate veteran who attained the rank of brigadier-general, Cabell remained active in the United Confederate Veterans until his death in 1911.
Cabell's grandson, Earle Cabell, was serving as mayor of Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated there on November 22, 1963.
   
The monument was originally located at Sullivan Park (later renamed Old City Park), but was relocated to Pioneer Park in 1961 due to construction on R.L. Thornton Freeway.
The monument was rededicated on April 29, 1962, with Earle Cabell scheduled to be in attendance.
The Dallas chapter of the UDC initiated a restoration project in 1992, culminating in the monument's second rededication on October 12, 1997.
Prior to its removal, it was believed to be the city's oldest public sculpture.

In 2017, the controversial Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia prompted the removal of Confederate monuments in various southern cities, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called for a task force to decide what to do with the memorial.
In April 2018, a local group calling itself Return to Lee Park was formed, and the group filed lawsuits to block the removal of both the War Memorial and the Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue in Lee Park.
In an 11–4 vote on February 13, 2019, the Dallas City Council approved removal of the War Memorial.
Although the Pioneer Park Cemetery is considered a historical area, the city Landmark Commission and City Plan Commission subsequently and independently deemed that the War Memorial has no historical connection to the cemetery, having been moved to the location decades after the last person was interred there in 1921.
Soon after the council's vote to remove the monument, it was covered with tarps and surrounded with barricades.

Robert E. Lee on Traveller was later removed and sold at auction for $1.4 million, and the city earmarked the funds to cover the estimated $500,000 cost to remove the War Memorial; however, in June 2019, Return to Lee Park filed an emergency stay with the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas to block its removal, arguing that the city had violated the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Antiquities Act in its earlier actions.
On July 1, 2019, Appeals Court Justice Bill Whitehall sided with Return to Lee Park and issued an order indefinitely blocking the memorial's removal until the dispute is resolved.

In late May of 2020, the killing of George Floyd prompted massive protests across the United States, and mobs of protesters committed widespread acts of vandalism in downtown Dallas.
Protests in other cities focused on destroying or defacing Confederate monuments, and on June 11, 2020, the city filed an emergency motion with the Court of Appeals asking for immediate permission to remove the War Memorial, citing the possibility of serious injury to protesters if the monument were to be toppled during a planned rally at the site.
The following day, the court approved immedi
The monument was designed by Frank Teich, who in 1896 was made an honorary member of Dallas Chapter, No. 6 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). The cornerstone was dedicated by the UDC Dallas chapter on June 25, 1896. The dedication of the monument on April 29, 1897 was attended by thousands, with hundreds of Confederate veterans, including Colonel William Lyne Crawford and Texas governor Charles Allen Culberson. There were also Masons, Knights Templar, Free Thinkers and German Turners. The Galveston Daily noted that a black woman threw granite at a carriage on the way, but she was dismissed as "insane." 
The dedication of both the cornerstone and the monument itself took place during Katie Doswell Cabell's first of two terms (25 May 1896–17 Dec 1897 and 17 Oct 1921–19 Oct 1922) as president of the Texas Division of the UDC. Her position in that office at that time may account for the inclusion of the marble bas relief roundel portrait bust of her father, William Lewis Cabell, on the south side of the monument base. W.L. Cabell served three two-year terms as mayor of Dallas (1874–1876, 1877–1879 and 1883–1885). A Confederate veteran who attained the rank of brigadier-general, Cabell remained active in the United Confederate Veterans until his death in 1911. Cabell's grandson, Earle Cabell, was serving as mayor of Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated there on November 22, 1963.    
The monument was originally located at Sullivan Park (later renamed Old City Park), but was relocated to Pioneer Park in 1961 due to construction on R.L. Thornton Freeway. The monument was rededicated on April 29, 1962, with Earle Cabell scheduled to be in attendance. The Dallas chapter of the UDC initiated a restoration project in 1992, culminating in the monument's second rededication on October 12, 1997. Prior to its removal, it was believed to be the city's oldest public sculpture. 
In 2017, the controversial Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia prompted the removal of Confederate monuments in various southern cities, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called for a task force to decide what to do with the memorial. In April 2018, a local group calling itself Return to Lee Park was formed, and the group filed lawsuits to block the removal of both the War Memorial and the Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue in Lee Park. In an 11–4 vote on February 13, 2019, the Dallas City Council approved removal of the War Memorial. Although the Pioneer Park Cemetery is considered a historical area, the city Landmark Commission and City Plan Commission subsequently and independently deemed that the War Memorial has no historical connection to the cemetery, having been moved to the location decades after the last person was interred there in 1921. Soon after the council's vote to remove the monument, it was covered with tarps and surrounded with barricades.
Robert E. Lee on Traveller was later removed and sold at auction for $1.4 million, and the city earmarked the funds to cover the estimated $500,000 cost to remove the War Memorial; however, in June 2019, Return to Lee Park filed an emergency stay with the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas to block its removal, arguing that the city had violated the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Antiquities Act in its earlier actions. On July 1, 2019, Appeals Court Justice Bill Whitehall sided with Return to Lee Park and issued an order indefinitely blocking the memorial's removal until the dispute is resolved.
In late May of 2020, the killing of George Floyd prompted massive protests across the United States, and mobs of protesters committed widespread acts of vandalism in downtown Dallas. Protests in other cities focused on destroying or defacing Confederate monuments, and on June 11, 2020, the city filed an emergency motion with the Court of Appeals asking for immediate permission to remove the War Memorial, citing the possibility of serious injury to protesters if the monument were to be toppled during a planned rally at the site. The following day, the court approved immedi
Confederate War Memorial (Dallas)