I attended the supervisors’ board meeting last week and heard the comments pertaining to the courtyard memorial as well as Confederate monuments in general.
I was born and raised in Petersburg and graduated from VCU in Richmond so am intimately familiar with the emotional perspectives regarding these monuments and the historical Confederate cause.
We should all understand that monuments may influence our culture and even our understanding of history, but they do not define us. We define ourselves through our actions and empathy for others. Over time, new research often uncovers previously unfamiliar facts and allows us an opportunity to update our personal beliefs and historical accounting of events and past leaders.
The issue of whether or not to remove or relocate revered Civil War monuments is uniquely complex (especially for Southerners), but it should be addressed constructively as not doing so invites controversy and negative publicity.The inscriptions on our courthouse monument invoke the namesake of our town and memorialize the Confederate soldiers of Patrick County. There can be no denying the Civil War was waged in defense of the institution of slavery and these words give credence to a renowned Southern commander.
On the other hand, it’s a beautiful sculpture and honorably represents an aspect of U.S. history. The soldier atop appears to be anonymous which offers an opportunity. Why not simply update the inscriptions to read something like “In memory of All American Soldiers Who Have Fought and Died”? This would transform our Confederate monument to an American war memorial.
Since the monument appears to commemorate a specific person and not a war, legal restrictions prohibiting any tampering of “war” memorials may not apply. I’m confident a skilled stone mason would be able to handle the job quickly. Doing so would be a progressive action for our community and hopefully, a welcomed compromise among the varying viewpoints.
Richard Powell
Stuart
