Vandals dumped white paint over the Stonewall Jackson monument at Manassas National Battlefield in Virginia.
The National Park Service said the vandalism was discovered on the monument depicting the Confederate general at 6.30am Wednesday morning and occurred overnight.
Photos showed white paint splashed on the granite base of the monument, and the word ‘Dead!’ added in gold spray paint.
Vandals dumped white paint on the Stonewall Jackson monument at Manassas National Battlefield in Virginia. The word ‘Dead!’ added in gold spray paint (pictured)
A large quantity of the white paint was poured on three of the four sides of the polished granite base.
The incident occurred a day after officials in Prince William County debated renaming roads and buildings honoring Confederate figures.
According to local reports, Prince William County supervisor Frank Principi, a Democrat from Woodbridge, proposed a resolution Tuesday evening to rename Jefferson Davis Highway, a volunteer fire station and two schools that were named after Gen Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson.
But supervisors refused to discuss Principi’s motion, prompting activists and commumity members to shout as they left the meeting: ‘Shame on you! You suck!’
The community members were angered over the board’s unwillingness to support a resolution condemning violence in Charlottesville and to rename roads and government buildings in the county.
Republican Chairman Corey A. Stewart – a vocal advocate of preserving Confederate monuments in Virginia – then ordered the room be cleared.
The monument (pictured) was erected in 1940 at the site where Jackson first received the nickname ‘Stonewall,’ at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861
The National Park Service said repairs are currently being made to the monument.
‘NPS preservation experts have started to remove the paint from the monument, and are assessing the best methods to remove remaining paint, oils and residue,’ a press statement read.
Park rangers are still investigating the incident and anyone with information is asked to call 301-714-2235.
The monument was erected in 1940 at the site where Jackson first received the nickname ‘Stonewall,’ at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861.
The first battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, was the first major battle of the Civil War.
It was also where Stonewall Jackson earned his nickname when his brigade helped rally Confederate troops fending off a Union charge.