I’m writing about the “Fame” statue. When I was a little girl, I always looked forward to going to Salisbury so I could see the “angel.” I had no idea at that age that it was even connected to the Civil War.

I don’t understand why such a beautiful statue cannot be repurposed to honor all American soldiers? This man could be any soldier.

I see nothing that indicates to which army he would belong. If nothing else, cover the engravings with plaques about the history of the war so people can learn from mistakes.

There should be a way that the statue could still be one of the symbols of the town without offending either side, as the inscription seems to be the offensive part rather than simply the figure of a fallen man with an angel.

— Sherri Hager

Statesville