A swell of South Carolinians gathered in front of the Capitol just after dawn Friday to say a last farewell to the Confederate battle flag that has flown over the Statehouse grounds for more than half a century.
"When I think back on all the hardships that my family had to endure, I am very proud to arrive at this moment," said Brenda Bowden, a retired middle school science teacher who had traveled an hour an a half from Fort Mill, S.C., to watch the flag come down.
After days of charged debate inside and outside the Capitol, Gov.