Protesters Call For Removal Of Confederate Monument In Fairfax

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — As state and local officials make arrangements to remove statues and monuments honoring Confederate leaders in Richmond, some Fairfax residents believe it's time for local officials to remove a monument honoring a Confederate officer from the grounds of the old Fairfax County Courthouse.

On Friday afternoon, several protesters gathered at the granite monument, built in 1904 to honor Confederate Captain John Quincy Marr, to call for its removal. They also questioned why the monument, created as a tribute to the Confederate officer, continues to be marketed by the Fairfax County tourism board.

"I would think that the fight to have it taken down would not be much of a fight at all because who really has an emotional connection to this rock?" one protester from Fairfax, who declined to be identified, told Patch. "Why do we value things like Confederate monuments over things that benefit the community?"

While a movement began a few years ago to change the name of Fairfax County schools named after Confederate leaders, the monument built in honor of Marr is one of many less well-known examples of how Fairfax County and the city of Fairfax continue to honor the Confederacy.

Located near the intersection of Main Street (Route 236) and Chain Bridge Road (Route 123), the monument is "dedicated to the memory of Captain John Quincy Marr, the first Confederate officer to be killed in the Civil War," Fairfax County's tourism board, Visit Fairfax, says in its description of the monument. The grounds of the old Fairfax County Courthouse, where the monument is located, are in the middle of the city of Fairfax but are legally part of Fairfax County.

On its website, Visit Fairfax says: "Union cavalry attacked the City at 3:00 a.m. on June 1, 1861. The Warrenton rifles commanded by Marr defended the city."

Marr, who was not a resident of Fairfax County, was one of Fauquier County's two delegates to the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 who ultimately voted for Virginia's secession from the nation. Less than two months after his vote for secession, Marr fell to his death during a battle with Union forces on June 1, 1861.

On the Marr monument, the inscription reads: "This stone marks the scene of the opening conflict of the war of 1861–1865, when John Q. Marr, Captain of the Warrenton Rifles, who was the first soldier killed in action, fell 800 ft. S. 46 W. Mag. of this spot, June 1st, 1861."

Two weeks ago, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond's famous Monument Avenue. Northam said he had directed the Virginia Department of General Services to remove the statue as soon as possible. Removal of the statue is now caught up in a legal battle over whether the state is allowed to remove the statue, which sits on state-owned property.

At the same time, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said the city plans to introduce an ordinance on July 1 to remove Confederate monuments on Monument Avenue and elsewhere on city property in Richmond. In March, Virginia lawmakers passed a bill giving localities permission to take down Confederate statues and monuments. The legislation struck down a previous Virginia law that prohibited local governments from taking down or modifying war monuments. Starting July 1, Virginia localities will have the ability to remove, relocate, or modify the monuments in their communities.

Virginia is home to 220 public memorials to the Confederacy, more than any other state. The Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond is one of the most prominent. "Symbols matter, too, and Virginia has never been willing to deal with symbols until now. That's true because generations ago Virginia made the decision not to celebrate unity but to honor the cause of division," Northam said at a news conference announcing his plans to remove the Lee statue.

On Friday afternoon, another protester wondered why the Confederate monuments and memorials across Virginia were not removed a long time ago. "It's disrespectful that we have to fight for this. It's something that should have been done," he said. "It shouldn't have taken George Floyd's death for us to start getting action to remove Confederate monuments."

The history of the city of Fairfax is closely tied to the Confederacy, with the Ku Klux Klan also playing a part in the history. Fairfax's Old Town Hall building once served as the headquarters of the local chapter of the KKK.

Fairfax High School's original mascot was Johnny Reb, showing the image of a Confederate soldier. Beginning in 1985, the mascot was changed first to Rebel Rouser and then Rebel Pride. The high school is located on a street called Rebel Run, just off Lee Highway.

On Thursday, Fairfax High School said it would no longer identify as the Rebel Pride and would be called the Fairfax Lions starting with the 2020-2021 school year.

Rebel Pride is a phrase "frequently used in tribute to the Confederacy," Fairfax High School Principal Erin Lenart said in a letter Thursday to the school community. "At Fairfax, we pride ourselves on inclusivity, family, belongingness, respect and integrity, and given the history of Rebel, it is time for a change," Lenart wrote.

The protesters who gathered in downtown Fairfax hope the same change comes to the John Quincy Marr monument on the grounds of the old Fairfax County Courthouse. Although not as grand as the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond, the Marr monument demonstrates to the Fairfax community that local leaders still view a Confederate officer as an important person who must continue to be honored, one of the protesters said.

"This monument still has an impact. It still says to people within the city of Fairfax that a certain type of person is honored here," the protester said. "We're out here today to say that we want to move forward in the city of Fairfax and to have it be a place where all truly are welcome."