‘Silent Sam’ Confederate Statue To Be Reinstalled: UNC Official

CHAPEL HILL, NC — The controversial "Silent Sam" Confederate statue pulled down off its pedestal by protesters on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier this week will be reinstalled within 90 days, according to a member of the school’s Board of Governors.

The statue depicting the silent Confederate sentinel was pulled down around 9:20 p.m. Aug. 20 by a group among a crowd of about 250 protesters.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on the campus to demonstrate in support of a student facing criminal charges after defacing the statue with red ink and blood in April, the News and Observer said. Protesters surrounded "Silent Sam" with tall banners, which covered protesters lashing ropes around the statue. "It fell with a loud clanging sound, and the crowd erupted into cheers," the newspaper said.

“Silent Sam will be reinstalled as required by state law within 90 days,” said Board of Governors member Thom Goolsby Friday morning. “Criminals who destroyed state property at UNC and police who did nothing will be held accountable.” In a video message, Goolsby referred to protesters as a “violent mob” and said, “We will not allow anarchy to reign on our campuses.”

SEE ALSO: Protesters Pull Down UNC ‘Silent Sam’ Confederate Statue

"The monument has been divisive for years, and its presence has been a source of frustration for many people not only on our campus but throughout the community," UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said the next day. "However, last night's actions were unlawful and dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured."

The sentiment was shared by Gov. Roy Cooper.

"The Governor understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our community," said a statement from Gov. Roy Cooper Monday evening.

For years, pressure has mounted to remove Confederate statues throughout the U.S., and has led to the removal of numerous statues throughout the south, including those in Dallas, Kansas, as well as several monuments in New Orleans.

One year ago, in the wake of violence in Charlottesville, temporary fencing was erected around "Silent Sam" after protesters toppled a statue of a Civil War soldier outside the Durham County Courthouse and a statue of Robert E. Lee was found vandalized outside a chapel on the campus of Duke University.

University leaders said at the time they were afraid the "Silent Sam" Confederate soldier statue that was erected on the campus grounds in 1913 will become "a flash point for violence that could spiral out of control," they wrote in a 2017 letter to Cooper requesting security resources.

"Given the substantial security threats that we face at UNC-Chapel Hill in connection with Silent Sam, we believe it is essential that the State of North Carolina take necessary steps to ensure safety," UNC officials said at the time. While university officials said last year they felt removing the statue was in the best interest of campus safety, they said the school could not legally make a unilateral decision to remove the statue.

The school has spent $390,000 to secure the statue this past year, the News and Observer reported.

Princeton historian Kevin Kruse lambasted the decision to re-erect the statue, tweeting Friday, “Anyone pushing to put Silent Sam back up should first have to stand before the UNC student body and read the original dedication speech for the statue.”

When the statue was erected on the school’s commencement day in 1913, UNC trustee Julian Carr gave a speech in praise of the Confederacy, saying that its efforts insured “the purest strain of the Anglo-Saxon is to be found in the 13 Southern States -- Praise God.”

Carr went on to say:

I trust I may be pardoned for one allusion, howbeit it is rather personal. One hundred yards from where we stand [on Franklin Street], less than ninety days perhaps after my return from Appomattox, I horse-whipped a negro wench until her skirts hung in shreds, because upon the streets of this quiet village she had publicly insulted an maligned a Southern lady, and then rushed for protection to these University buildings where was stationed a garrison of 100 Federal soldiers. I performed the pleasing duty in the immediate presence of the entire garrison, and for thirty nights afterward slept with a double-barrel shotgun under my head.

Main Image: CHAPEL HILL, NC - AUGUST 22: Demonstrators rally for the removal of a Confederate statue coined Silent Sam on the campus of the University of Chapel Hill on August 22, 2017 in Chapel Hill North Carolina. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)