Duke removes damaged Lee statue

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017 file photo, the defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue stands at the Duke Chapel on Thursday, Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C.  Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday, Aug. 19, days after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy.  The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness early Saturday morning from Duke Chapel where it stood among 10 historical figures depicted in the entryway (Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun via AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017 file photo, the defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue stands at the Duke Chapel on Thursday, Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C. Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday, Aug. 19, days after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy. The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness early Saturday morning from Duke Chapel where it stood among 10 historical figures depicted in the entryway (Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun via AP)

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy.

The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness before dawn from the entryway to Duke Chapel, where it stood among 10 historical figures. Officials discovered early Thursday the statue's face had been gouged and scarred, and part of the nose is missing.

Another statue of Lee, the top Confederate general during the Civil War, was the focus of the violent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly a week ago.

Duke University president Vincent Price said in a letter to the campus community he consulted with faculty, staff, students and alumni before deciding to remove the statue.

"I took this course of action to protect Duke Chapel, to ensure the vital safety of students and community members who worship there, and above all to express the deep and abiding values of our university," Price said in the letter.

Durham has been a focal point in the debate over Confederate statues after protesters tore down a bronze Confederate soldier in front of a government building downtown on Monday. Eight people face charges including rioting and damaging property. Days later, hundreds marched through Durham in a largely peaceful demonstration against racism before an impromptu rally at the stone pedestal where the statue stood.