Virginia Dismantles Three Confederate Statues at Capitol Square
Virginia removed three Confederate statues from Capitol Square, following a 2026 legislative order, relocating them to Shenandoah Valley battlefield sites.
Virginia has begun dismantling three Confederate monuments that stood for over a century in Capitol Square, the public park adjacent to the state legislature in Richmond. The move marks the latest phase in a years-long effort to strip the former Confederate capital of symbols honoring the secessionist cause.
The statues removed include figures of Confederate Generals Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and William "Extra Billy" Smith, along with Confederate surgeon Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire. Their removal was mandated by the Virginia legislature during its 2026 session.
Former Democratic State Senator Adam Ebbin, who sponsored the removal legislation, said the action does not erase Civil War history but reconsiders public veneration. "It changes who we choose to venerate on the Capitol lawn," he remarked.
Democratic State Senator Mike Jones noted that efforts to relocate Confederate symbols from prominent public spaces in Richmond began in 2018. He described the monuments as symbols that raise questions about the Commonwealth's values and the messages conveyed to visitors.
The statues will be preserved by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and relocated to battlefield sites within the valley. The Virginia division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which originally championed the monuments, expressed a desire for the works to be displayed as donors intended, allowing the public to study and reflect on them.