At Ready (statue)

At Ready (1909) is a memorial of a Confederate soldier originally located in front of the Albemarle County Courthouse in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. The statue, popularly known as "Johnny Reb,"[1] and accompanying objects were removed on September 12, 2020.[2] The statue and nearby cannon, and cannonballs were removed to be placed on display at the Third Winchester Battlefield,[1] part of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.[2]

History

The statue was unveiled on May 5, 1909, the anniversary of the 1857 creation of the Monticello Guard,[3] a militia company in Charlottesville that formed in front of the Albemarle County Courthouse when Virginia seceded from the union in 1861, and became part of the 19th Virginia Infantry.

Relocation

On August 6, 2020, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to remove the statue.[4] While several Virginia communities removed monuments in 2020 due to safety concerns amidst widespread protests, Albemarle was the first locality to remove a war memorial under the procedures of a recently passed statues bill that went into effect on July 1, 2020.[5]

References
  1. "Here are the (mostly Confederate) mementos in Johnny Reb's time capsule". www.cvilletomorrow.org. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  2. Taylor, Derrick Bryson. "Confederate Statue Near Site of White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville Is Removed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  3. "May Fifth Date Selected". Daily Progress. Charlottesville, VA: 1, 8. March 15, 1909.
  4. Marcilla, Max. "Albemarle County to remove "At Ready" confederate statue following public hearing". nbc29.com. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  5. Schneider, Gregory S. "Confederate statue taken down in Charlottesville near the site of violent 2017 rally". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

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