Whether or not the University surrendered to Union General George Armstrong Custer during the Civil War managed to cause additional controversy recently.
The accuracy of a state historical marker claiming the University did indeed surrender to Custer was questioned last August.
After a lengthy ordeal the Virginia Department of Transportation took down the marker, originally located near the University Chapel. It will replace it with a new one sometime in the coming months.
VDOT erects markers and maintains them, and the state Board of Historic Resources researches and composes the historic text, Board Director Kathleen Kilpatrick said.
University Rector John P. Ackerly III, a self-proclaimed Civil War buff and past president of the Richmond Civil War Roundtable, raised the initial doubts about the original marker.
This led the University to enlist the expertise of History Prof. Gary W. Gallagher, a noted Civil War historian.
Gallagher reviewed faculty minutes from the Civil War, in which he found no mention of a surrender to Union troops. He submitted a letter to the Board of Historic Resources citing the possible inaccuracy of the marker.
"The board reviewed the question of accuracy and the weight that should be given to the new information brought to light by Ackerly," Kilpatrick said.
The new marker commemorates the "Union Occupation of Charlottesville" instead of recognizing that "the University Surrendered." It notes that the University escaped the war without damage, unlike nearby Virginia Military Institute, which was burned.
Before the board approved the new marker at its quarterly meeting in March, it allowed outside scholars, including historians such as Gallagher, to review the revised text and certify its accuracy, Kilpatrick said.
The new marker also will move from its original location to a proposed new spot near the Cavalier Inn, according to Ackerly.
Part of the debate stemmed from the marker's improper placement. Ackerly expressed concern that it was not on a state highway right of way, which is required for all state historic markers. The text in question, it turned out, was only part of the problem.
"The new location would provide for parking and be near the visitor's center," Ackerly said. "It will be a more safe and convenient location for visitors."
University Police Officer Brain E. Del Vecchio led efforts to create the original marker. Del Vecchio is a member of the Little Big Horn Associates, a group that studies and admires the achievements of Custer.
He said he wanted to bring attention to the surrender, which he called a pivotal yet overlooked event in the course of the war.
"It honors some of the greatest men in University history and in Charlottesville history," Del Vecchio said.
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