Vandals Spray Paint U.S. Regulars Monument, Red Cloths Return

The west side of the monument to the United States Regulars on Cemetery Ridge near the Copse/Clump of Trees was spray painted this week. This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

Spray painting vandals have defaced the west side of the monument to the U.S. Regulars near Cemetery Ridge’s Hancock Avenue. These vandals appear to have a political purpose, as opposed to the spray painting of the Peace Light earlier this year. As a further reminder to how open the battlefield is to vandals, red cloths have now appeared on the sides of the Longstreet Tower on Seminary Ridge.

The vandals did not spray paint the south side (shown here), the east side near Hancock Avenue (shown on the right) or the north side facing the Copse/Clump of Trees which is in the background. This view was taken facing north at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

They chose to deface this west side which is better hidden from Hancock Avenue. This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2008.

It appears that the vandalism occurred on Wednesday or Thursday when we had significant amounts of rain and the monument was wet. This allowed some of the writing to be removed, but it is certainly very noticeable. This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

The bottom states, “When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.” This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

At the top, partly covering the bronze work, are the words “Fox Die.” This could be a reference to a video game where a virus is created by the Pentagon to make victims appear to have suffered a heart attack. Or it could be something else. This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

The United States Regulars Monument was dedicated 100 years ago, on May 30, 1909. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

May 30, 1909 was Memorial Day, and President William Howard Taft dedicated the monument “in the presence of a large contingent of Regular Army soldiers.” This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

The U.S. Regulars suffered 1375 casualties during the Gettysburg Campaign. This view was taken facing east at approximately 1:30 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

Red cloths also made their appearance over the weekend on the south and north sides of the Longstreet Tower. This view was taken facing north at approximately 1:45 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

The Longstreet Tower or Eisenhower Tower is located on the east side of West Confederate Avenue (shown at the left) on Seminary Ridge. This view was taken facing north at approximately 1:45 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

We have to admit that this placement of cloths did not impress us as much as their previous attempts. Although they may have climbed up the outside of the tower, it appears that most of the way they could have climbed the steps. This view was taken facing north at approximately 1:45 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2008.

This is the first time we have noticed two cloths on a structure. This view was taken facing south at approximately 1:45 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

Here’s a better view of the cloth on the north side of the monument. This view was taken facing south at approximately 1:45 PM on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

See the following related posts:

Red Cloth Placed on East Cavalry Field’s Michigan Cavalry Brigade Monument on November 2, 2009.
Ball Placed Back on Top of Monument to Knap’s Pennsylvania Battery on July 9, 2009.
Peace Light Monument Mostly Cleaned of Vandalism on June 14, 2009.
It Has Now Been 145 Days Since the Peace Light was Vandalized on June 2, 2009.
153rd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument Update, and Peace Light Update on May 23, 2009.
Peace Light Cleaning Update: A Little More Progress on May 22, 2009.
Peace Light Cleaning Update: No Visible Progress on May 20, 2009.
Another Gettysburg Monument Vandalized on May 19, 2009.
Peace Light: Some Photographs Taken When the Vandalism was First Discovered on January 27, 2009.
Peace Light Monument Vandalism on January 10, 2009.
Eternal Light Peace Memorial Dedication Ceremony on January 1, 2009.
Red Cloths Finally Removed From Monuments on July 7, 2008.
Smith’s New York Battery Monument Still Awaits Restoration on May 31, 2008.
A New Type of Vandalism for Memorial Day on May 26, 2008.