(July 2007) VICKSBURG, Miss. - Relic hunters created an unprecedented amount of damage to historic resources at Vicksburg National Military Park in the early-morning hours of May 5, estimated at "tens of thousands" of dollars.

Rick Martin, the park's director of operations, said he had been stationed at Vicksburg for 30 years, "and I'd say this was the most extensive damage to a key feature. It was very brazen."

Working in the area of the Texas Monument, the relic hunters cut into the northwest corner of an earthen redoubt 10 to 12 feet high.

"They cut into the face of the corner with shovels and that corner sloughed right off," said Martin. "It's tragic."

The looters also dug as many a 100 holes in the area of the Texas Monument, most of them 4 to 5 inches across with some even larger. A National Park Service archaeologist brought in to inventory the damage commented on the unusually large size of the holes and said the damage was among the most extensive that she'd seen.

Martin said the preliminary damage estimate of "tens of thousands" of dollars would be refined once the assessment was completed.

The fortification is one of nine major defenses built by the Confederates at Vicksburg, all within the park boundary. It was the only one to be penetrated by Union forces and remains in its original condition. The redoubt was the scene of intense fighting for several hours on May 23, 1863,

Martin did some surveillance of his own in hopes of catching the perpetrators.

"I stayed out May 11 waiting for them to come back and they did," he said. Around 2:30 a.m. he spotted two individuals. But they were apparently outfitted with night-vision devices and "some form of communication" to an accomplice, because as he maneuvered to get between them and some woods "they were alerted and made their escape."

There was a bizarre twist to Martin's subsequent search. He found the trail the two men took. But in probing a spot where he thought they might have cached their shovels and metal detectors, he discovered instead the dozen-year-old remains of a man.

This prompted an investigation by numerous law-enforcement agencies. At presstime the remains were being held by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation awaiting contact of next of kin.

Meanwhile, Martin said his hunt for the relic hunters continues. "We're working things," he said. The park is offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.

"Clearly what they've done is steal from the American people," Martin said. He noted that local reaction had been swift. "The City of Vicksburg condemns this. This is their personal park. It's a personal affront to the people of Vicksburg and they're very upset about it."

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