Crews remove Confederate statues from Capitol Square in Richmond: 'This is a moment in history'

RICHMOND, Va. — After more than a century overlooking the Virginia Capitol Square grounds, three statues honoring men who served in the Confederacy were removed Friday.

The statues depicted Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, two-time Virginia Governor and former Confederate General William "Extra Billy" Smith — whose second term as governor came at the end of the Civil War — and Confederate Army surgeon Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire.

The removal of the statues was included in language in this year's state budget and directed them to be gifted to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

The foundation's CEO said the statues would be moved to appropriate battlefield sites within the Shenandoah Valley.

"Preservation is more about the future than the past, and ensuring the preservation of the Capitol Square monuments is a part of that clear vision," said CEO David Walker. "At the core of all we do is the belief that our shared history can unite the people of our nation; that there is strength and inspiration for our own times to be found in the struggles of the past."

The push to remove them began during the 2026 General Assembly session when then State Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced legislation.

His bill was one of a handful targeting Confederate iconography brought to the General Assembly this year.

Their removal means there are no longer anymore statues honoring people who served in the Confederacy in its former capital.

That process started back during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, when protesters and then city and state officials started tearing down statues with ties to the Confederacy.

"It's timely as we continue to move forward as a Commonwealth and who and how we see ourselves," said State Senator Mike Jones (D-Richmond), who was a Richmond City Councilmember when the statues started to come down. "Monuments, as I've always said, they're symbols. They point to something beyond themselves. Is this what the Commonwealth is about? Is this where we want to direct people to? And it's not. We have the moniker, the mantra, 'Virginia is for Lovers.' Well, hey, let's prove that in how we legislate and also how we look. The esthetic of our Capitol grounds."

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Among those who watch the statues get plucked off their pedestals was Jeffrey Holmes, a Richmond tour guide. He said he rushed down when finding out it was happening.

" I jumped on my scooter and raced down here so I could actually see this in person," said Holmes. "This is a moment in history, and that's what I like to witness and capture and talk about."

"I am glad they are coming down," he added. "I know some people are upset. 'It is our history.' All this. Well, history is history. There is good history, there is bad history, and we need to learn it all, understand it all."

CBS 6 reached out to the Republican leadership for the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia about Friday's removal, but either did not hear back or were not given a comment.

While the statues were gone by Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which oversees the Capitol grounds, said the removal of the three concrete pedestals could take up to a week.

They added there are no plans for what, if anything, will go in the place of the three statues.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.