Washington (CNN) Virginia's statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was removed from the US Capitol overnight Sunday, Gov. Ralph Northam's office announced. Lee's statue had been one of 13 statues in the Crypt of the Capitol, representing the 13 original colonies. It had been there since 1909, "44 years after the Confederacy rebelled against the United States and was defeated," a statement from Northam's office said. The governor said the now-removed statue will be replaced with a statue of the late Barbara Rose Johns, an African American woman who played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Source: CNN December 21, 2020 15:11 UTC