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Thread: Civil War battlefield looted, described as 'crime scene'

  1. #1

    Angry Civil War battlefield looted, described as 'crime scene'

    This will have an huge effect on our hobby

    (CNN)The National Park Service is calling part of a Civil War battlefield "an active crime scene" following a series of excavations.

    Authorities are investigating suspected looting at Petersburg National Battlefield, just south of Richmond, Virginia. The National Park Service describes Petersburg as the site of the war's longest siege, lasting more than nine months between 1864 and 1865 and claiming 70,000 lives.
    "Earlier this week, one of the park employees was out doing landscape work and noticed some things were out of place," park spokesman Chris Bryce said.
    The digging happened in the eastern part of the park, where there was a large number of excavated pits, officials said. "Many of the holes were just left open," Bryce said. "They were several inches deep in most cases."
    Marked graves were not disturbed.
    Park officials have not described what type of items or relics may have been targeted. They have not confirmed whether anything was removed.
    "They are probably doing their homework of the area, probably did research on Civil War," Bryce said. "They were in the ground (and) they likely would have used a metal detector and a digging tool."
    Civil War relics, including uniform buttons, rifle parts and other metallic battlefield items, regularly show up on Internet auction sites.
    The park service says looting a federal battlefield is a crime, and violators can be fined as much as $20,000 and face two years in prison.
    The siege of Petersburg is known as the longest military event of the Civil War, pitting Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
    The Petersburg siege and battle over supply lines led to the eventual fall of the Confederate capital of Richmond and the surrender of the Confederacy.
    In one of its most infamous battles, called The Crater, Union troops detonated a mine underneath a Confederate fortification.
    But poorly led Union troops were repulsed after they rushed into the gap.
    Grant called the Battle of the Crater "the saddest affair I have ever witnessed in war."
    The excavations occurred where significant fighting took place in June 1864 and March 1865.
    Bryce said Saturday he was unaware of any tips to authorities. Officials are hopeful someone saw something and will report it, he added.
    This is not the first time people have done such excavations. Bryce said someone was successfully prosecuted in 2010.
    "What really took us off guard was this being so close to Memorial Day, where the nation is in the midst of starting the summer and a weekend where we should reflect on sacrifices made."
    2017 Total:
    Mercs= 2
    Wash=1
    Seated=1
    total slivers=4
    Wheats 8.
    Indians=4 (1864,1865,1888)
    LG cents=1
    1 Sliver Pendent, 2= 3-ringers, 2 tokens

    Most Valuable find ever: 1834 C.B. dime, Oldest 1776 1/2 Reale, Biggest 1822 CB half.
    Detectors: E-trac and F75LTD2

  2. #2
    Elite Member Digger_O'Dell's Avatar
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    Jun 2015
    Location
    near Milwaukee Wi.
    Posts
    3,932
    I heard about that from someone at work last night. Stuff like that is just ignorant, and gives a bad name to legitimate hunters. Stuff like this is what gets the laws passed banning ALL detecting. So i hope they do catch those responsible.
    Equipment:
    Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.

    2023 Silver: 1 Gold: 0

    Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
    Oldest/best coins: 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
    Oldest find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
    You Tube: Rediscovering America

  3. #3
    I hope major distributors contact media outlets to let them know that this is not the normal.
    2017 Total:
    Mercs= 2
    Wash=1
    Seated=1
    total slivers=4
    Wheats 8.
    Indians=4 (1864,1865,1888)
    LG cents=1
    1 Sliver Pendent, 2= 3-ringers, 2 tokens

    Most Valuable find ever: 1834 C.B. dime, Oldest 1776 1/2 Reale, Biggest 1822 CB half.
    Detectors: E-trac and F75LTD2

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