Completed in 1901, the monument initially stood 50 feet (15 m) – the height having been calculated to surpass that of the Confederates' monument – and was topped by a bronze eagle with wings spread.[1][2] On August 22, 1904, however, the eagle was shattered by a bolt of lightning, the sound of which rattled Knoxville and could be heard for miles all around.[1] Undaunted, the GAR commissioners planned immediate reconstruction, using federal funds secured by Congressman Henry R. Gibson.