A Confederate monument that has been in a North Georgia cemetery for more than 100 years was vandalized this week, officials said.

The statue  depicts a Confederate soldier with his arms in front of him holding a long rifle,  the Rome News-Tribune reported. The hands and rifle were knocked off, the face was knocked in and the hat’s brim was damaged.

“It looked like it was surgically cut,” Rome City Manager Sammy Rich said. ”It’s just super disappointing that somebody would go to that much trouble to get up there, put a ladder up or whatever to reach it.”

The damage was estimated at $200,000 by cemetery Director Stan Rogers. Police have few leads.

The statue was put up as a memorial to defenders of Confederate states, according to the newspaper.

The monument was removed Thursday, and Rich said city officials will try to figure out how to restore the statue and put it back in its place.

Read more of the story here (subscription site).

In other news:

Trees and debris are still littering roadways throughout the county.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Cox Enterprises CEO Alex Taylor and AJC Publisher Andrew Morse were joined by AJC editors and Atlanta business react during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Midtown on Friday, January 24, 2025.
(Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo