A life-size bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln was disclosed in Richmond Saturday near the James River, sparking both jubilation and disdain.
The statue, which also features Lincoln's son Tad, was greeted with both applause and boos by the assembled crowd. Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy for the majority of the Civil War. Lincoln, the 16th president who led the Union war effort, still is intensely vilified by certain groups.
Others on hand welcomed the statue as a symbol of unity. Mayor Rudolph McCollum called the statue long overdue.
"We in Virginia are glad to claim him as one of our own," Lt. Gov. Timothy Kaine said. "Abraham Lincoln is one of us."
The U.S. Historical Society donated the statue, which sits at the site of the former Tredegar Iron Works, a prominent supplier of arms to the Confederacy during the war.
Saturday morning, the Sons of the Confederacy rallied at Confederate President Jefferson Davis's gravesite to protest the bringing of the statue to Richmond.
The weekend marked the 138th anniversary of Lincoln's coming to Richmond to meet with Confederate leaders.
--Compiled by Jon Breece
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