The County Commission voted 6-2 on Wednesday to keep the bust of Confederate General A.P. Stewart on the south lawn of the Hamilton County Courthouse.
In favor of keeping the bust were Chester Bankston, Jim Fields, Joe Graham, Randy Fairbanks, Greg Martin and Tim Boyd.
Voting to move it were Greg Beck and Warren Mackey.
Sabrena Smedley was absent due to a medical procedure.
Former City Councilman Yusuf Hakeem, representing the NAACP, said the "symbolism is not one of bringing people together. It is a public space and we are all taxpayers."
He said, "Quite frankly, is this good for business in our community as a whole?"
Mr. Hakeem also said, "Place the statue where the story of General Stewart can be told in context." He suggested Chickamauga Battlefield or a museum.
Bea Lurie said brought up images of Hitler and said of General Stewart, "He had a choice to fight for the Confederacy and against our nation. We call that a traitor."
Commissioner Beck, who proposed the resolution, recommended that an eagle be placed at the site in place of the bust of General Stewart.
He said, "Some people put on a different uniform, and you shoot the hell out of your neighbor. That's crazy. We don't want to remember the Civil War."
Chuck Hamilton, who said he is a relative of General Stewart, said he was on the Chickamauga Park Commission and the park would be an appropriate place for the bust.
Commissioner Fields said county officials who placed the bust were honoring his service to Tennessee. He said, "The thoughts were different back then. Folks were a lot more loyal to their state than the country."
He said he could not second guess the council that put the bust in place. He said General Stewart "was a man who was torn" in his loyalties.
Chris Dooley, a retired military officer, said General Stewart was honored "as a great leader and as a unifier of our nation at a time when it was torn. He did something very positive."
He said the bust "should not be thrown in the dust heap, but General Stewart should be held up as a man who did good things."