The iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that had towered over Virginia’s capital city of Richmond for more than a century was removed by work crews on Wednesday on the order of Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam.
"This was a long time coming, part of the healing process so Virginia can move forward and be a welcoming state with inclusiveness and diversity," Northam said, adding that it represents "more than 400 years of history that we should not be proud of."
The statue was expected to be cut into pieces so that it can be brought to a secure location and stored until its final disposition is determined.
The statue, a 21-foot bronze equestrian sculpture that sits atop a pedestal nearly twice that tall, has been the cornerstone of Monument Avenue since 1890 in the former capital of the Confederacy.
Northam's plans to remove the statue had stalled until the state Supreme Court cleared the way last week in unanimous rulings against two lawsuits, saying that in a democracy, "values change and public policy changes too."
Former President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 issued the following statement in response to the removal of the Lee statue:
"Just watched as a massive crane took down the magnificent and very famous statue of “Robert E. Lee On His Horse” in Richmond, Virginia. It has long been recognized as a beautiful piece of bronze sculpture. To add insult to injury, those who support this “taking” now plan to cut it into three pieces, and throw this work of art into storage prior to its complete desecration.
"Robert E. Lee is considered by many Generals to be the greatest strategist of them all. President Lincoln wanted him to command the North, in which case the war would have been over in one day. Robert E. Lee instead chose the other side because of his great love of Virginia, and except for Gettysburg, would have won the war. He should be remembered as perhaps the greatest unifying force after the war was over, ardent in his resolve to bring the North and South together through many means of reconciliation and imploring his soldiers to do their duty in becoming good citizens of this Country.
"Our culture is being destroyed and our history and heritage, both good and bad, are being extinguished by the Radical Left, and we can’t let that happen! If only we had Robert E. Lee to command our troops in Afghanistan, that disaster would have ended in a complete and total victory many years ago. What an embarrassment we are suffering because we don’t have the genius of a Robert E. Lee!"
INFORMATION WORLD WAR: How We Win . . . . Executive Intelligence Brief
