Duke University Removes Damaged Robert E. Lee Statue
DURHAM, NC - AUGUST 17: A statue on the portal of Duke University Chapel bearing the likeness of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was vandalized on early August 17, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. The statue is one of 10 historical figures adorning the exterior of the chapel; the group includes significant figures from the American South and the Protestant and Methodist traditions.
Photographer: Sara D. Davis/Getty ImagesDurham, N.C. (AP) -- Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy.
The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness before dawn from the entryway to Duke Chapel, where it stood among 10 historical figures. Officials discovered early Thursday that the statue's face had been gouged and scarred and that part of the nose is missing.