Charlottesville started with a statue of Robert E. Lee - Here are 11 Confederate figures whose monuments are sparking controversy across the US

• Violence at Charlottesville has shone a light on the controversy surrounding Confederate monuments on public grounds.

• There were 1,503 Confederate symbols displayed in public spaces in the US as of 2016, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

• Local governments have begun to quietly remove certain Confederate memorials.

Charlottesville, Virginia erupted in violence over the weekend, after mob of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and alt-right adherents descended on the college town.

At the center of the storm was a statue - an equestrian monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The City Council of Charlottesville is attempting to remove the statue from the park.

The "Unite the Right" rally was ostensibly a protest against this move. In the wake of the violence, municipalities around the US are quietly and quickly working to remove the monuments, which have become a lightning rod for controversy.

US President Donald Trump blasted the decision to remove monuments commemorating figures like Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in a fiery press conference Tuesday, Sonam Sheth reported for Business Insider.

"I wonder: Is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?" Trump said. "You know, you really do have to ask yourself - where does it stop?"

In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported that there are 1,503 Confederate symbols displayed in public spaces throughout the country. The US is dotted with parks, military forts, fountains, and roads bearing the names of men who chose to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America.

Looking through SPLC's list, it's clear that most of the statues, monuments, and busts are dedicated to general groups of Confederate soldiers, veterans, or dead.

But some historical individuals, like Lee, make several appearances on the list. Some of the figures commemorated are more controversial than others, but all served the Confederacy in some capacity.

Business Insider took note of Confederate figures who are commemorated with more than one statue, monument, memorial, or bust on public land, according to the SPLC.

Here are the backgrounds of the men whose statues are now at the heart of a nationwide controversy: