Breakdown of Confederate Monument Removals in 2020

After the Civil War, Confederate veterans from North Carolina and Virginia competed over, among other things, which state sent the most men to war, which state was the last to surrender, and who achieved the furthest advance at the battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

In 2020 their descendants competed to see who could remove the most Confederate monuments following the police killing of George Floyd earlier this year. Virginia finished the year having removed twenty-five with North Carolina coming in at a respectable second with nineteen. Overall, close to ninety Confederate monuments have been removed across the country this year.

Here is the breakdown:

  • VA: 25
  • NC: 21
  • FL: 7
  • AL: 5
  • GA: 5
  • AR: 4
  • TX: 4
  • MD: 3
  • MO: 2
  • DC: 2
  • AZ: 2
  • KY: 2
  • IN: 1
  • LA: 1
  • MS: 1
  • OK: 1
  • PA: 1
  • WA: 1
  • WV: 1

Virginia will likely remain the state to watch out for given the pending lawsuit in Richmond over the Robert E. Lee memorial. Charlottesville is another city to keep an eye on this year. Movement in either city will likely lead to another concerted push to remove monuments in other states. This is far from over.

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12 comments… add one
  • Richard Jan 9, 2021 @ 10:22

    Good afternoon

    You have Haymount, NC listed as a monument removed, Haymount is a neighborhood in Fayetteville, NC. Also, the first Confederate monument in NC was located in Cross Creek Cemetery in Fayetteville, NC and had been removed by the owners.
    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1H96dOYaXDfGJ36ts7_RkZ4uVyY91uNx4

    • Kevin Levin Jan 9, 2021 @ 15:47

      Thank you.

  • Neil Hamilton Jan 3, 2021 @ 13:51

    Appreciate the update, Kevin.

    Sincerely,
    Neil Hamilton

    • Kevin Levin Jan 3, 2021 @ 14:32

      You are very welcome.

  • Steve Taylor Jan 2, 2021 @ 12:00

    Mr. Levin, please help me out.
    It seems that each historian who wants to be au courant in the field of Civil War studies is obligated to swear fealty to the “Lost Cause Myth,” but I’ve been hard-pressed to find a single, conclusive list of the elements which prove THE MYTH. There appear to be several Lost Cause Myths floating around. I’m especially fond of the myth that includes the notion that the South didn’t lose because the North had more soldiers and materiel. Yeah, that makes lots of sense….

  • Matt McKeon Jan 2, 2021 @ 9:31

    Slightly off topic: the Congress overrode President Trump’s veto to pass the National Defense bill. That includes a section about renaming military bases currently named after Confederate generals

  • Terry Jan 2, 2021 @ 7:06

    Can you please provide any citation or evidence that the generalization “In 2020 their descendants competed to see who could remove the most Confederate monuments following the police killing of George Floyd earlier this year.”

    I am unaware of any competition, on the part of Confederate descendants, to see who could remove the most Confederate monuments.

    Rather, descendants have been proactive in insisting that various heritage preservation laws be upheld, oftentimes to no avail as elected officials abdicate their responsibilities to preserve and protect.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 2, 2021 @ 7:37

      I wouldn’t take it literally.

      I used those words to counter your wording, which is not entirely accurate. Certainly descendants of Confederate veterans have advocated for monuments remaining in place, but just as many have campaigned for their removal.

  • Alan Rosenfeld Jan 2, 2021 @ 6:42
    • Kevin Levin Jan 2, 2021 @ 6:48

      I chose not to include it for a couple of reasons. It is certainly a significant removal.

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