Vandals have set fire to a statue of a World War II veteran they mistook for Confederate Army Commander Robert E. Lee.

On Friday morning museum workers were stunned to find a marble statue dedicated to U.S. Army Airborne founder Major General William C. Lee singed black and badly burned after vandals set it alight on Thursday February 14.

The statue is erected at the front of the William C. Lee Airborne Museum in Dunn, North Carolina.

Employees believe the statue was targeted by people who mistook the statue for the famed Confederate leader who shares the same last name, but no other connection.

A statue of U.S. Army Airborne founder Maj. Gen. William C. Lee in Dunn, North Carolina was badly burned on Thursday February 14 by vandals who mistook it for Confederate Commander Robert E. Lee

Police say vandals poured a flammable liquid over the statue then set it on fire, covering it with black ash

The devastated museum staff shared pictures of the damage on Facebook saying General William C. Lee was a highly respected soldier who led the U.S. Army Airborne forces

'This is not a Civil War museum. This is General William C. Lee from United States Army Airborne from World War II, so I was hurt and surprised that somebody would actually do this,' museum curator Mark Johnson said to WNCN.

He was shocked that his museum would be affected in the controversy over Confederate monuments boiling in the South, resulting in protests, toppled statues, and vandalism.

'This is a hometown grown boy here that turned out to be an international hero of World War II, so to come and try to destroy his statue is just an insult to everybody,' Johnson said.

Police say the culprits doused the statue is some kind of flammable liquid and set it on fire around 11pm on Thursday February 14.

Mix-up: The statue the vandals burned was for WWII veteran Major General William C. Lee (left), not Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War (right)

'I think it was a big mistake. Why would you do something like this? It really just irritates people,' he said, adding the felons could use a history lesson to get their facts straight.

In his life William C Lee, who passed away in 1948, led the 101st Airborne Division and was fondly nicknamed the 'Father of the U.S. Airborne'.

Airborne forces are military units that are carried dropped into battle via parachutes and gliding wings into combat.

Johnson, who has studied William C. Lee's life, says he was not a racist.

'When he was in World War II he's considered the father of the airborne in which there were plenty of black paratroops, a diverse outfit,' Johnson said.

The Museum posted about the incident on Facebook, where the post has racked up over 700 shares.

Before the damage: General Lee's statue is pictured before the burning incident

The statue stands in front of the General William C. Lee Airborne Museum. Museum employees say it'll take hundreds of dollars to repair the damage to the monument

'The United States owes so much to our military forces and all five military branches are what has kept this country safe and free for all these years. The U.S. Army Airborne soldier is highly respected world wide. Then comes along some jerk punk (s) and he tries to burn the statue of WWII Major General William C. Lee....the Father of the United States Airborne Army,' the post said.

'The local fire department put out the flames but the damage is done. It scorched the statue mostly on the left side. You can see the burn marks in the marble where the jerk placed the remainder of the fuel container on the platform,' they added.

The museum is reviewing local security surveillance video to find the culprit.

He and the museum have contacted a local stone mason to repair the damage to the statue.

'He’s gonna come over and try to steam clean it and use a special chemical to try to get that into the pores in the marble. We hope it will clean up, there’s minimal damage to the base, so we hope it will all come out but it will take a lot of work,' he added, speculating the repairs will cost several hundred dollars.

The Dunn Police Department are investigating the incident and there is a $1,000 reward for any information that could lead to arrests.

If you have any knowledge on the incident you can call crime stoppers at 910-892-2222.