An Alexandria man has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $15,557 for damage caused while metal detecting on the Chancellorsville battlefield, according to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
An investigation conducted by park rangers under the authority of the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act revealed evidence indicating the man was responsible for illegal excavation and damage to an archeological resource while metal detecting on National Park Service property, the park said in a statement.
On March 16, 2021, an off-duty Virginia State Police senior trooper observed a white male digging on the battlefield and reported it to park officials.
Rangers responded and found a person matching the description. Park officials discovered multiple unauthorized excavation sites along with damage to archaeological resources within the boundary of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, adjacent to the Chancellorsville History Trail.
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The National Park Service reminds the public that Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park’s four battlefields are protected by federal laws and regulations.
Archeological resources on public lands administered by the National Park Service are an irreplaceable part of the nation’s heritage, according to Hilary Grabowska, an interpretive park ranger at Chatham Manor, the park’s headquarters in Stafford County.
Enacted in 1979, ARPA makes it a violation of federal law to excavate, remove, damage, or otherwise alter or deface, or attempt to do so, any archeological resource located on public lands. Penalties for persons convicted of felony violations may include up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, the park said.
Fought in Spotsylvania County from April 30 to May 6, 1863, the Battle of Chancellorsville is considered Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s greatest military victory in spite of heavy casualties his army sustained there, according to the American Battlefield Trust.
It was the last battle for Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, who was mortally wounded there by friendly fire. Jackson’s amputated left arm was buried, and remains, in its own grave in the cemetery at Ellwood Manor in Orange County, part of the national military park.
Metal detecting is banned in all national parks.
The town of Culpeper recently banned digging in its parks, but still allows surface-level metal detecting.