Protesters in Atlanta Tear Down ‘Peace Monument’ After Mistaking It for Confederate SymboI

“When the Civil War broke out, members of an Atlanta militia called the Gate City Guard were among the first to take up arms against the North,” the AJC blog said. “Afterward, some survivors became part of what would eventually become the Georgia National Guard.”

“Others, who felt they were too old to fight any longer, took up the cause for reconciliation,” according to AJC.

“These guys realized a national healing needed to take place,” Thornton Kennedy, a history buff in Atlanta, said about the inspiration or the Peace Monument.

“They organized a peace tour of the North, which is really remarkable,” Kennedy said. “These were guys who fought in the Civil War, against Union troops.”