Hide Article Text (OCR)
Thieves plunder Civil War tombConfederate statues, historians and New Bern entrance this morning at Cedar Grove Cemetery.Jmm A vary/Sun Journalas a man emerges from tombBy Laurie GengenbactiSun Journal StaffHistorians probing the Confederate monument at Cedar Grove Cemetery this morning were stunned to discover the 60-or-more graves of New Bern’s Civil War dead have been pillaged by robbers.Strewn throughout the 70-foot-length of the 10-foot-wide cavern is a jumble of skulls, ribcages and bones, with not a belt buckle or button in sight“It’s like someone moved right through the center of the row, with shovels and metal detectors,” said John Green curator of collections for Tryon Palace, who described being “outraged” at the desecration he witnessed.“I’m willing to bet it was mem-t:rs of the local Civil War community who are very avid and unscrupulous,” he said. “It’s outrageous this has happened. Most of them are local people and shouldknow better.*'Green said he had suspected on previous occasions that plunderers had been inside the tomb. Two years ago, he said he thought the slate slab that covers the entrance had been shifted.Capt. John Me Alexander of the New Bern Police Department said he knew the tomb had been plundered in the past, “many, many years ago.”When the dead were laid out, they were placed with the heads neatly arranged along the east wall of the brick cavern, as was the custom in the day, Green said. Since then, the bones have been carelessly strewn about by collectors intent only on gathering artifacts, he said.Green said he saw no belt buckles or buttons — cherished items among Civil War buffs. In certain circles, artifacts retrieved directly from graves instead of from battlefields are considered particularly valuable.he said.“They call them ‘body buckles’ or ‘body buttons.' It’s consideredamong this group of ghouls more valuable,” he said. “If I could put them in jail, I would. That’s how angry I am.”Green, a New Bern native, told police he has a “short list” of those he has long suspected of grave robbing, and asked police to press charges. He also suggested the two entrances at both ends of the vault be sealed with concrete to prevent further desecration.Police investigators were beginning the task of collecting evidence this morning, McAlexander said.Today’s foray into the past began as a research task, Green explained.The North Carolina Literary Review is planning a series on the post Civil War South.He said the editor of the magazine had asked — “as a sideline” to the series — that Green and other researchers write a history and physical description of the tomb as itappears today.Historians and English department researchers from East Carolina University were also invited to New Bern for the rare opportunity to peek inside.The stone memorial that stands at the center of Cedar Grove is inscribed with the the dates 1861-1865. Green explained that in actuality, the tomb was constructed in1866 and the Confederate soldier sculpture that memorializes the dead was added about a year later. A plaque, flat on the ground close to the slab entrance, lists the names of those buried below.Visitors to the site emerged from the tomb with looks of wonder on their faces and reported being moved by the experience.“It brought back some things that have been done years ago,” said Richard Morris, superintendent of public works for the city of New Bern. “It’s a sacred feeling down there.”A “Morris” is among the names inscribed on the plaque and could be one of his ancestors, he said.
Newspaper Details
New Bern Sun Journal
New Bern, North Carolina, US
Fri, Apr 15, 1994
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
New B.
NC, USA 17 Jan 2019
Other Publications Near New Bern, North Carolina
Newbern Weekly Progress
Newbern Progress
National Savings Bank
New Bern Our Living and Our Dead
New Bern Sun Journal
