Monument was built in summer/fall 1863 (Library of Congress) |
The
Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office said Monday the incident likely took
place in mid-December, but went unreported due to the time of day of the incident and the
relatively remote location of the monument.
The
office said it was made aware of the incident by Florida investigators with a
similar investigation in their jurisdiction. “We are hoping someone may have
information that would be helpful to our ongoing criminal investigation,” Rutherford
County Fire Marshal Joshua Sanders said in a news release. Officials provided no information on any findings thus far.
Stones River National Battlefield said on Facebook that it was aware of the incident and cooperating with the investigation. A staffer who answered the phone Tuesday morning said officials were gathering information and had no comment.
Historic photo shows grave markers near monument (NPS photo) |
“The brigade's determined resistance ended the advance of the Confederate Army of Tennessee and kept it from pushing the Union Army of the Cumberland back to Nashville,” the park says.
Construction of the monument by soldiers took place in 1863. It is nestled among the graves of 55 soldiers. A battlefield historic resource study detailed repairs of the monument in the mid-1980s and some interesting findings from an archaeologist. Park staffers found Confederate cannon balls, another shell, two rifle barrels and a cedar staff rested on the same level within the monument.
“(Archaeologist) John W. Walker identified the artillery shells as being of Confederate origin and suggested that the other items found in this cache were also representative of weapons used by Confederates attacking Hazen’s brigade during the crucial engagement in the area known as the Round Forest, where the monument is located. During this series of Confederate artillery and infantry assaults, even the trees surrounding the Union troops became dangerous projectiles as cannon balls and shells tore through them, dangerously raining sharp fragments of shattered branches upon the troops below.”
William B. Hazen |
Kane writes further about it on the Murfreesboro Monuments web site, saying the artifacts found in Hazen memorial were considered by Walker to be symbolic and served as a time capsule.
She said Walker could not determine the true meaning of the items.
The
fire marshal’s news release has an email and phone number the public can use to provide any tips.
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