Gettysburg National Military Park officials are asking for the public’s help after the battlefield’s largest regimental monument was vandalized Sunday evening.
Sometime between 5 and 6 p.m. on Sept. 15, a man carved the initials “LJR” into a bronze plaque on the 12th and 44th New York Infantry Regiments monument, also known as the “Castle,” according to park spokesperson Jason Martz. The defacement was reported by another visitor and is believed to have been left by the suspect himself.
The park has shared a photo of the suspected vandal on its Facebook page and is urging anyone with information to call 888-653-0009. Tips will remain anonymous.
Standing 44 feet tall and 12 feet wide, the Castle was erected in 1893 and designed by Daniel Butterfield, the original colonel of the 12th New York Infantry and later General George Meade’s chief of staff at Gettysburg. Its scale makes it the largest regimental monument on the battlefield, rising prominently from Little Round Top.
As of Tuesday, no repairs have been scheduled. Martz said the park remains committed to preserving its historic sites and holding vandals accountable.
The incident follows a series of recent acts of vandalism at the historic site. In August 2024, several boulders on Little Round Top were defaced with graffiti, and the War Department Observation Tower on Oak Ridge was later damaged. Preservation staff were able to clean those markings within days.
Source: Pennlive