To the Editor:
The Appomattox soldier should be left where is. The Confederate flag has unfortunately come to symbolize racial hate. But this soldier, facing south, with his back turned on the source of his troubles, has nothing to do with hate.
He is expressing above all remorse. He mourns the thousands of his comrades who have perished for a lost cause. "Appomattox" is hardly a triumphal label.
This is not the moment for him to think deeply on the political errors that caused the Civil War — and, not coincidentally, came close to ruining the City of Alexandria. That will come later.
This is the finest piece of public art in the city, not least because it teaches us about the sins and follies, as well as the heroism, of our past. This spot is where these men gathered, leaving their families behind, to join the Army of Northern Virginia.
Why did they do that? Were they right or wrong? Were States Rights really the cause of our most terrible conflict? Or was it slavery? These are the questions that the grieving soldier poses, for our teachers to answer.
It is a primary civic sin to destroy the evidence of our past. Leave him there, so others may remember and hopefully learn. With malice toward none, with charity for all, leave him be.
Robert Pringle
Alexandria