US

Richmond Removes Last Confederate Statue From Former Confederate Capital

Twitter/Screenshot/LevarStoney

Devan Bugbee Contributor
Font Size:

The city of Richmond, Virginia, removed its statue of General Ambrose Powell Hill, better known as A.P. Hill, on Monday, officially ditching the last pro-Dixie public sculpture the former Confederate capital had on display.

A crane and straps quickly raised Powell’s monument from its base Monday morning before lowering it into a flatbed truck, the Washington Times reported. The statue’s removal was uniquely controversial compared to his Civil War comrades who were largely ejected in the surge of “racial justice protests” in 2020 due to his remains being buried under the monument. Indirect relatives of the late Confederate general agreed to move his remains to a cemetery in Culpeper, Virginia, near his birthplace, according to the outlet.

“Over two years ago, Richmond was home to more confederate statues than any city in the United States. Collectively, we have closed that chapter,” Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney tweeted. “We now continue the work of being a more inclusive and welcoming place where ALL belong.”

While attending the statue’s dismantling, Stoney reportedly commented that the removal of the last Confederate monument would “turn the page and start a new chapter for our city of Richmond,” according to The Washington Post. (RELATED: POLL: Republican Voters’ Confidence In Election Legitimacy Rose Sharply In 2022 Midterms)