Statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee dismantled in Virginia

Sept. 8 (UPI) — A 12-ton statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — which has stood on Monument Square in Richmond, Va., for more than a century — was taken down Wednesday and cut into pieces in front of a cheering crowd.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said removing the statue was a “step in the right direction” and should allow for Virginians to “fully tell” the history of the state.

Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the secession of the Southern states and through much of the Civil War.