The Pentagon has reinstalled a painting of Robert E. Lee in his Confederate uniform in the West Point library, reports CBS News.
The 20-foot-tall painting previously hung in the library but was removed in 2022 under a Department of Defense directive ordering the U.S. Military Academy to address racial injustice and eliminate installations that "commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy."
The portrait depicts Lee with an enslaved man guiding the Confederate general's horse in the background.
"At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place," Rebecca Hodson, the Army's communications director, told The New York Times earlier this week.
"Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it — we don't erase it."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been open about his desire to restore Confederate names and monuments that have been removed over the past five years.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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