A Northern Virginia county has voted to remove a monument marking the spot where the first Confederate soldier died in the Civil War.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 at its Tuesday meeting to remove the stone marker and two cannons placed on either side of it on the grounds of the county courthouse.
The monument marks the spot where Capt. John Marr of the Warrenton Rifles was killed in the Battle of Fairfax Court House on June 1, 1861.
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The six-ton granite monument was unveiled in 1904 and bears a simple inscription noting that it marks the scene where Marr died.
“In Fairfax County, our diversity is one of our greatest qualities and Confederate monuments don’t reflect our values. We cannot ignore what these monuments mean for our residents. Symbols matter," Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay said in a statement.
The monument will be placed in storage. The county estimates the removal cost at $20,000.
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Numerous Confederate monuments have been removed across Virginia after the state legislature passed a law earlier this year relinquishing state control over the removal of monuments.
