Now, 126 years after he was buried under the Confederate Soldiers Monument on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol, archaeologists and conservatives from the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) have revealed what’s inside – A stone believed to have been taken from Gettysburg, a pair of buttons, and a lock of what is probably horse hair.
But most notably: According to a list of items buried in the small wooden box published in the Charlotte Democrat on Friday, May 25, 1894, the buttons belonged to General Robert E. Lee and the thread was plucked from his horse, Traveler.
Such time capsules are not entirely rare. In 2017, a time capsule was discovered buried deep within a Confederate monument in St. Louis, and in 2018, flags, cash, and medals were found underneath a Confederate statue that was removed in New Orleans.
Rarely, however, do these capsules contain relics from Lee himself.
The metal case found last week in Raleigh was “severely damaged by the elements” and had rusted in several places, DNCR said in a press release. Work to preserve the items and the box itself was underway.
Other items said to be buried in the box but likely lost over time include Confederate money, maps, and a Bible that was found at the Appomattox Courthouse the day after Lee delivered his approximately 28,000 troops to the General of the Ulysses S. Grant Union, ending the war.
The monument was one of many ordered by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in June following protests over the death of George Floyd that led to the fall of similar ones.
In a statement released by his office and posted on Twitter, Cooper said: “Monuments to white supremacy do not belong to places of loyalty, and it is time for these painful monuments to be moved legally and safely.”
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