Vandals Hit Stones River's Hazen Monument

scone

2nd Lieutenant
Honored Fallen Comrade
This one hits to close to Home. I hasd a distant relative in the 41st Ohio Infantry -, Allen Kepner Co. A age 19 who enlisted in 1861 and was mustered out in 1865. The 41st first commanding officer was Colonel William B Hazen. And the unit served under Hazen till the end of of the war.

Before its First Battle (Shiloh) Col Hazen was given the command of a Brigade for ever known as Hazen Brigade. 41st Oh. 6th Ky, 110th Ill
& the 9th indiana Infantry.

I dont know the casualty # for the Brigade for their action at Stones River / Murfreesboro but the 41st Ohio went in to battle 413 officers and men and had 14 killed 106 Wounded and 4 missing. The brigade was one of the few section of units that held its ground on that new years eve day in 1862. And they fought like that through out the war....


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On January 7th, vandals painted several text messages and symbols on nearly 65 feet of the historic limestone wall surrounding the Hazen Brigade Monument and cemetery.

Removal of the graffiti will likely cause damage to the stone. The monument and the wall surrounding it and the brigade cemetery were erected by Union soldiers in early 1863 after the Civil War battle there.

The monument is considered to be the oldest, intact Civil War monument in the nation. If the investigation leads to arrests, the vandals may be charged under the Archeological Resource Protection Act, according to park ranger James Lewis.

Lewis is currently cooperating with the Murfreesboro Police Department and the Rutherford County sheriff in an attempt to generate leads; the park may also seek public assistance through the local media. (Source: National Park Service Morning Report, 1-12-05)
 
I agree with you, this one is worth a Expired Image Removed

I could ask a rhetorical question about what these people could possibly have been thinking, were it not so obvious that they weren't thinking at all.
 
Ignorance, misguided prejudice and hatred are the culprits which will slowly ruin all our historical monuments in this country. When young hooligans who, for lack of anything to entertain their moronic minds, find pleasure in utter destruction, there is something basically wrong with their upbringing, the friends that they cultivate, and the
unsupervised time they have on their hands.

I hope they are caught, I hope the book is thrown at them, and I wish to high heaven that the laws would be repealed so that their names would be published for all their community to see!

I am tired of these kids throwing themselves on the mercy of the court and getting off with spending a few months in juvenile hall. The destruction they cause is permanent, their punishment should be more severe.

I can certainly empathize with your feelings on this, Steven. It does indeed hit close to home. We follow our relatives lives into this century trying to see through their eyes what they fought and indeed gave their lives for and then, some punk, in essence, spits on their very grave! It's horrid.

If only these kids had a chance in school to try to identify one of their own relatives through a war period, ANY war period, and then try to understand and "walk" in their shoes for a brief moment. What an eye-opener that would be. Would he be so willing to desecrate a monument if he knew that great Uncle Joe lost a leg at that battle, or even died of dysentery? Methinks not.
 
Thea, you never cease to impress me with your eloguence. I walked by that monument not more than two weeks ago in the presence of one Steven Cone. You could see pride in his eyes as he told me of his links to those few acres of rocky soil at Murfreesboro adjacent to the Stones River. Later that day he graciously helped me locate the area where my own ancestor visited briefly on December 7, 1864 just a few hundred yards from the Hazen monument. My membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is for the purpose you stated, no more, no less. Yes, I would join the Sons of Union Veterans if we could find enough folks near Nashville to get a quorum. Mostly southerners around here, though the modern "invasion" of northerners continues. Folks such as those I'm learning to admire on this list are the hope for preserving our past and the memory of those who deserve that recognition. I salute you and your comrades for leading the attempt to overcome the general ignorance that may prompt acts such as this.
 
Pleasure to walk the Hollowed Grounds with you there Larry.
No Greater feeling than wal;king the same grounds that our father's father's, and so on once walked. And help make this world what it is today..

They not only deserve the right to be remembered they have earned that right to be remembered for with out them I would not be here.

And that goes not only for CW sites but all other Historical sights, Valley forge, countless number of trails out west, and list could go.


regards, Steven
 
I won't be eloquent like Thea. Sentence them to reenacting (public service). Barrel Shirts or billboards marked "Vandal" or any of the punishments described in Hard Tack and Coffee.
 
I personally think that if it were kids, first off: what were they doing out so late? Did their parents know where they were? And if they did, then they all should be punished.

Second: it is as Thea said: Ignorance. I believe that if you are raised to respect personal property then you are not as likely to pull off something as stupid as this. When respect is not taught, you have self rightous and totally spoiled children that have no respect for property, people, animals, and everything in between. These are the same ones that after 4 yrs of partying in college, get their degrees and want a million dollars for 4 8hr days of work. They need to be taught once again that life has hardships and that life is not like Burger King: You can't have it your way!!!

Ok, I am off my soap box now. Just had to get that out there. But I do believe that the lack of respect in the country is appauling.

Steven- I hope they get your monument that your relatives fought and died to have erracted put back to its former glory. My deepest symphothies in its destruction. It is sad and maddening!
 
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