Overview

• Officials say the vandalism occurred Sunday between 5 and 6 p.m. on Little Round Top at the 44th New York Infantry Monument.
• The National Park Service released photos of a suspected white male with short dark hair and a beard and asked anyone who recognizes him to call 888-653-0009, with tips accepted anonymously.
• A park-goer reported hearing scratching sounds, and a good Samaritan photographed the individual as three initials were carved into a bronze plaque with a pocketknife.
• Gettysburg officials note that monument defacement has persisted for decades, and preservation specialists will repair the damaged plaque.
• Local residents expressed dismay and called the act disrespectful to those who died at the Civil War battlefield where nearly 10,000 lives were lost in 1863.