He had several wet books and other items.
A time capsule buried 130 years ago At the base of a statue of a Confederate general it was opened last Wednesday, revealing several wet books and other items.
The bronze statue of the general Robert E. Lee, who led the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War, was removed in September in Richmond, the city of that state that was the capital of the South during the bloody conflict of 1861 to 1865.
Inaugurated in 1890, Lee’s equestrian statue is among hundreds of Confederate monuments widely regarded as racist in America.
Once the statue was removed, workers began searching the 12-meter granite pedestal for a time capsule believed to be was hidden at its base in 1887.
The search was abandoned after several days, but the capsule was eventually found when the pedestal was dismantled, and it was taken to the Richmond Department of Historical Resources.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ceremoniously opened the shoebox-size casket Wednesday after scientists scraped the lead and mortar from the container for hours.
A newspaper article from 1887 indicated that the capsule contained relics from the Civil War like buttons and bullets, Confederate currency, maps, a bible, and a photo of President Abraham Lincoln in his coffin, among other items.
The box also contained three books, a sealed envelope with a photograph, and a coin of unknown origin. The books, the envelope and the photo they were affected by the water that seeped into the chest.
One of the books is the 1875 American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, a guide for astronomers, survivors, and navigators.
Another appears to be a book published in 1889, two years after the sealing of the time capsule was announced, leading to speculation that there could be another hidden time capsule on the pedestal.
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Lee’s statue was the subject of anti-racism protests last year after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white policeman in Minnesota.
During the Civil War, the Confederate South separated from the United States and fought to maintain slavery, which the rest of the country had abolished. (I)
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