Pentagon to restore Confederate general portrait at West Point library

Controversial painting of Robert E Lee and enslaved man taken down after 2020 law to remove Confederate tributes

A controversial portrait of General Robert E Lee, which shows an enslaved man holding the Confederate leader’s horse, is being returned to the library at West Point, according to Pentagon officials who spoke with the New York Times.

The nearly 20ft canvas, which had hung in the US military academy since 1952, was removed following a 2020 law that ordered Confederate names and tributes to be stripped from military installations.