Source: FOX 43
Author: James Corrigan
Published: September 15, 2025
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Gettysburg National Military Park officials are asking for the public’s help after a monument on Little Round Top was vandalized.
According to the park, a visitor reported hearing the sound of scratching and scraping between 5 and 6 p.m. on Sunday on the New York “castle” monument at Little Round Top, one of the most significant sites of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
The visitor followed the suspect and was able to take a photograph, which has since been shared by the park on social media.
“Some major vandalism had occurred,” said Jason Martz, communications specialist for Gettysburg National Military Park. “By the looks of it, it had been with a pocket knife.”
Officials say the letters "LJR" were carved on the side of a plaque on the monument, which was erected at the site 132 years ago to honor Union soldiers from New York who helped repel Confederate attacks during the battle.
“This is truly sacred ground,” Martz said. “This is an entire space dedicated to those who fought and died here. And so, this is really the last place that I would think that anyone would truly take time to desecrate in any way, shape or form.”
The incident comes after a rock at the site was defaced in August of 2024
Martz says damaging a monument itself is especially troubling because of the history and memory it represents.
More than 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg, and Martz says protecting these monuments is a way to honor their sacrifice.
“Really, what it comes down to is defacing the memory of those who fought and died — the memory of those who lived to then memorialize those who did fight and die here,” Martz said.
Gettysburg National Military Park is urging anyone who recognizes the individual in the photograph to contact its anonymous tip line at 888-653-0009.