LEXINGTON, Va. — The Virginia Military Institute has removed a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

Around 9:45 a.m. Monday, a crane plucked the statue off its base and slowly hoisted it away at the public military college in Lexington, where allegations of systemic racism roiled the campus this fall.

Until several years ago, some cadets were required to salute the Confederate statue.

VMI’s board voted to remove it after The Washington Post published a story describing an “atmosphere of hostility and cultural insensitivity.”

Founded in 1839, VMI says it is the oldest state-supported military college in the United States.