Opinion: Old Joe’s history should be lamented and statue moved. Even those who placed it there think so - Gainesville Times

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Opinion: Old Joe’s history should be lamented and statue moved. Even those who placed it there think so

Gainesville's Confederate solider memorial, Old Joe, in the downtown square. - photo by Nick Bowman

Old_Joe — Gainesville's Confederate solider memorial, Old Joe, in the downtown square. - photo by Nick Bowman

Like many Southerners, I have ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, including relatives who were killed or seriously wounded. And what were they fighting for? I was taught that it was state rights.