Underscoring the sectional nature of the victorious Republican party were fears that relics and heroes of the old Republic would be desecrated or violated.
Bernhard Thuersam, Circa1865
Washington’s Remains Removed from Harms Way
“[Diary entry] May 21, 1861:
Removal of the Remains of Washington – A correspondent of the Lynchburg “Republican” says:
“I was told today that a report having reached . . . Virginia that the tomb of Gen. Washington was going to be violated by the Republicans, his remains and those of his family were promptly removed to a more central spot in the State, where they will be out of harm’s way.
If this is true, what a commentary on the North! How strange that coming events should prompt such a move! Surely we live in a singular age.”
(Diary of Ada Amelia Costin, Wilmington, North Carolina, Tuesday, May 21, 1861. Special Collections, Randall Library, UNC-Wilmington)