Workers dismantling a Confederate monument in North Caroling stumbled upon a time capsule at the base that contains items belonging to General Robert E. Lee.
The massive statue was destroyed during Black Lives Matter protests in late June and officials ordered the removal of the remains due to its ‘painful memory.’
The event has led experts to a rusty metal box, which they opened to find a set of Lee’s dress coat buttons, along with strand of hair from his horse Traveler that have been hidden since 1894.
Archaeologists also found a number of other Confederate items including songbooks, money and flags, but many of the artifacts have been damaged by the elements.
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Workers discovered a time capsule dating back to 1894 while dismantling what was left of a 75-foot Confederate monument in Raleigh, North Carolina
Most of the items pulled from the ‘corner stone box’ were damaged by the elements, but NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) uncovered a news clipping from May 25, 1894 that shows a list of times placed in the capsule.
The article highlights a rock taken from Gettysburg, a rose bud worn by Lee, money, song books and sketches of generals from the Civil War, according to CNN.
‘Archaeologists and conservators from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources opened a time capsule buried in 1894 beneath the cornerstone of the Confederate Soldiers Monument on Union Square in Raleigh,’ reads DNCR website.
‘Because the metal box containing the items had rusted through in places, the items contained in the time capsule were severely damaged by the elements.’
Experts opened the time capsule to discover a pair of buttons that once belonged to Confederate General Robert E. Lee
There was also a horse hair in the box, which is said to have came from Lee’s horse. Traveler
Most of the items pulled from the ‘corner stone box’ were damaged by the elements, but experts are still working to recover the artifacts
‘Items recovered so far include a wooden box, a stone thought to be from Gettysburg, two buttons attached to a piece of textile and a strand of what appears to be horse hair. Preservation work on these items and the metal box itself has begun.’
The team used a hammer and stake to open the capsule without damaging the structure.
Robert E. Lee (pictured) was a Confederate general who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia
Many of the items pulled from the back were covered in a thick layer of mud, but the most exciting find was a set of buttons that belonged to Lee.
Also in the capsule was a strand of horse hair, a Confederate songbook, money and flags.
Other items include a Bible found at at Appomattox Court House the day after Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, putting an end to the Civil War.
Lee was a Confederate general who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia.
Due to his success as a leader, Lee was promoted to commander of the Southern armies during the Civil War.
However, his surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 is viewed as the end of the war and victory for the Union army.
The monument, which represented a group of Confederate soldiers, sat on North Carolina’s capital grounds.
At the top of the massive column was a statue depicting a Confederate artillery soldier holding a gun.
Near the bottom sat two statues, one representing the Confederate infantry and the other a Confederate cavalryman.
There were also two 32-pound naval cannons stand on each side of the monument.
On Juneteenth, protesters used a strap to pull down two statues of Confederate soldiers that were part of a larger obelisk in downtown Raleigh.
The massive structure was destroyed during Black Lives Matter protests in late June and shortly after officials ordered the removal of the remains due to its ‘painful memory’
On Juneteenth, protesters used a strap to pull down two statues of Confederate soldiers that were part of a larger obelisk in downtown Raleigh
Protesters hung one of the statues around a light pole during the Black Lives Matter marches. Numerous Confederate statues have been vandalized or torn down across the South following the death of George Floyd
Numerous Confederate statues have been vandalized or torn down across the South following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes.
Governor Roy Cooper ordered the removal of the monument June 20 citing safety reasons after protesters topped it over, along with other statues on the capitol grounds.
In a statement released by his office and published to Twitter, Cooper said, ‘Monuments to white supremacy don’t belong in places of allegiance, and it’s past time that these painful memorials be moved in a legal, safe way.’